Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has called for the creation of a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism, jointly led by Nepal, India and China, following devastating flash floods in the Himalayan region. Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in his maiden speech last night, Prime Minister Shah warned that a warming climate is destabilising the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. He proposed using the mechanism to share satellite data, technical expertise and early-warning information among the three countries. He said melting permafrost is weakening mountain slopes beneath glaciers and increasing the risk of ice-rock avalanches, floods, landslides and other cascading disasters. He said the recent disaster caused widespread devastation on both sides of the Nepal-China border, with floodwaters continuing downstream into India.

Mr Shah also expressed Nepal’s deep gratitude to countries, including India, that provided assistance following the disaster.

Nepal was hit by massive flash floods on the 26th of last month, triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border. The floods devastated towns and villages across northern and central Nepal. The disaster has claimed 1,452 lives, while between 4,700 and 6,000 people are still reported missing.