The Himalayan Flood Crisis and China’s Impact

6 days ago 0

The flood disaster in Tibet and Nepal on August 26 has raised grave concerns. The death toll has reached 1,453, with 5,200 missing on the Nepali side. In contrast, the Tibetan casualties remain unrecognized due to China’s control over information. Tibetans face restrictions not only in life but also in acknowledging their deaths, as Beijing limits access to information.

When the flood struck, the Kyirong County administration in Tibet initiated a WeChat alert to report missing persons. However, the system was abruptly shut down after 219 missing reports were registered, according to sources from Kathmandu. Citizens challenging the official toll of 43 deaths face fines or detention. Such controls, critics argue, aim to obscure the actual causes of these disasters. Himalayan communities demand an immediate halt to mega-dam construction.

Chinese and international critics have long connected regional disasters to China’s dam-building on Tibetan rivers. Beijing continues to expand into Nepal, financing hydropower projects to counter Nepal’s energy dependence on India. This expansion, a geopolitical move, promotes Chinese electric vehicles, but poses environmental hazards.

Dams built under fragile Himalayan glaciers create ecological risks. The intense sun heats reservoirs, forming greenhouse loops in the glacial area. This effect, noted in natural glacial lakes, happens in man-made dams as well. The existential threat these dams pose to Himalayan communities cannot be ignored.

Scientists warn of Himalayan glacial lakes bursting due to climate change. Villages in Tibet, Nepal, India, and Bhutan face a risk akin to a ticking nuclear threat. As temperatures rise, glacial melt accelerates, creating dangerous lakes. At least 14,000 lakes are trapped in the mountain range; their presence, increased by warming, poses dangers.

A treaty between Tibet and China once declared mutual happiness, reflected in a proverb about living off local resources. While China’s civilization developed near lowland rivers, Tibet thrived on high plateaus. This misalignment underpins Beijing’s poor management of Tibet. Its policies, disregarding Tibetan input, have led to ecological disasters.

Beijing disregards Tibetan wisdom and culture, globally noted for environmental ethics. Open societies increasingly value Indigenous knowledge, but China moves to suppress minority cultures. Despite the recognition of the North American residential school system’s failure, China enforced a similar system in Tibet, codified by law.

If China continues to ignore potential ecological consequences in the Himalayas and erases the culture capable of sustaining the ecosystem, the risk of floods grows. The impact extends beyond Tibet, affecting neighboring countries and China itself. China’s dams, holding vast water volumes above plains, risk catastrophic failure.

Should any of China’s 95,000 dams break, the historical Yangtze River flood might lose its rank as China’s deadliest disaster. Such failures threaten not only Chinese lives but also those in neighboring countries, including India and Nepal.

A poet from the 6th century, Yu Xin, emphasized cherishing one’s natural sources. Beijing’s leadership might benefit from embracing cultural wisdom, as the Tibetan culture they threaten could hold solutions to current ecological challenges.

Tenzin Bhagen, also known as Yeshi Dorje, is a Tibetan writer and former journalist who worked for Himalayan environmental protection.