Nepal moves to restore early warning system along China border

11:14

By: Azzat Manal

Nepal moves to restore early warning system along China border

Nepal is preparing to rebuild and upgrade its early warning network along the border with China after devastating floods and landslides exposed major weaknesses in the country’s disaster-monitoring infrastructure, according to sources cited by Reuters.

Authorities are expected to install satellite-based VSAT communication stations, seismic sensors and video surveillance cameras in the border town of Timure. The system is designed to maintain the flow of critical information even when mobile phone networks are disrupted by natural disasters.

Nepal’s previous monitoring infrastructure was damaged or knocked out during the landslides and flooding, limiting the ability of authorities to receive timely information and issue warnings to communities at risk.

Dharma Raj Upreti, head of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said specialists are already working to install new monitoring points and cameras to replace damaged equipment. The upgraded system will allow officials to track river water levels in real time and send alerts by SMS when signs of flooding are detected.

The disaster was triggered by extreme water flows linked to the collapse of part of a glacier in a mountainous area. Rising water levels in the Bhote Koshi River contributed to destructive floods that caused widespread damage across several areas of Nepal and also affected China’s Tibet Autonomous Region.

The latest reported figures put the death toll from the floods and resulting landslides at 1,127, while 4,858 people remain missing.

The planned warning system is part of Nepal’s broader efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness in remote mountain communities, where difficult terrain and unreliable communications can make emergency response particularly challenging. Satellite connectivity, real-time monitoring and automated alerts could help authorities react more quickly to rising water levels and reduce the risks posed by future floods and landslides.