Kathmandu [Nepal], September 3 (ANI): The latest incident of flash floods in Nepal has drawn the attention of the world towards the geologically fragile Himalayan region, which has been warming rapidly, experiencing glacier retreat, snowmelt and degradation of permafrost, which can remove the cement covering on the mountain slopes. In the 26 August 2026 incident, the evidence available so far points to a glacier/rock collapse and massive debris avalanche, rather than an ordinary monsoon flood. The glacier/rock mass destabilisation led to an ice-rock avalanche which in turn caused a temporary blockage/surge in the Bhote Koshi river. With the enormous debris flowing along the Bhote Koshi/Trishuli river, there was large-scale destruction in the lower reaches. The avalanche, which occurred in the high Himalaya near the Nepal-Tibet frontier, travelled downwards at the rate of 50 metres per second.

Nepal is today sitting on a “geological precipice”. The Himalayas are among the young...