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Catastrophic Flood Exposes the Risks of Nepal’s Hydropower Bet

The loss of power-generating capacity has raised questions about an ambitious expansion of renewable energy in one of the world’s most hazard-prone mountain regions.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

A catastrophic deluge of ice and debris knocked out over 12 percent of Nepal’s hydropower capacity within minutes, striking a heavy blow to the nation’s economic engine.
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Nepali Flood Survivors Face Profound Loss, Pressing Needs and Murky Futures

The disaster has left countless people with little or nothing of the lives they had built, struggling with immediate survival and unsure how to rebuild.

Disaster survivors in Devighat, Nepal, on Friday surveyed the damage to their businesses and homes while seeking shelter, food and medical care.
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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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Disaster Experts Say Nepal Glacier Collapse Was Difficult to Predict

Given the challenges in forecasting and detecting such calamities, researchers advised banning construction on floodplains and marking out clear evacuation routes.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

The widened channel of the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal on Thursday after the flash flooding. Most monitoring and early-warning systems for glacial hazards focus on a specific area of risk.
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Climate Change Raises Risk of Disasters Like Nepal Floods

Glaciers and permafrost in the Himalayas are melting faster as temperatures rise, though scientists are still studying the exact causes of this week’s landslide.

© Atul Loke for The New York Times

Mud-laden water and debris surges through the widened channel of the Bhotekoshi River in the northern Rasuwa district of Nepal, on Thursday.
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Survivors of Nepal Flood Left in Stunned Disbelief: ‘They All Died, and I Lived’

A visit near the border with Tibet laid bare the effects of a swollen river’s furious speed. Miles of devastation were left behind in a flash flood that killed more than 300.

Residents waiting to be airlifted by helicopter in the Rasuwa district of Nepal.
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Photos: A Deadly Flood Tears Through Nepal and Tibet

An ice avalanche that started high in the Himalayas tumbled thousands of feet, releasing vast amounts of energy that pulverized the ice into a significant volume of flood water.

© Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

An aerial view on Thursday of buildings partly submerged in muddy water along a riverside after a flash flood at Trishuli Bazaar in the Nuwakot district of Nepal.
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At least 160 killed and hundreds missing after flash floods destroy roads and buildings in Nepal and China

Massive flash floods in a border area of Nepal and China on Wednesday killed at least 98 people and left hundreds of tourists, workers and others missing after sweeping through communities and bringing travel in some areas to a halt.

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