"What Melts In Himalayas...": Nepal Minister Flags 'Common Threat' To India

"Whatever melts in the Himalayas rises in the sea," said Nepal Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal as he elaborated on the common threat to Nepal and India from the ecological fragility in the Himalayas.

Khanal emphasised on redefining India-Nepal relations in ecological terms while continuing to celebrate the cultural and religious linkages between the two neighbours.

"Nepal and India have always talked about our relations in terms of Roti-Beti, Sita-Ram. Religion and civilisational links have always played a big role in our ties. But we have to reframe our relationship in ecological terms," Khanal said at the NDTV World Anviksha Summit in Kathmandu on Thursday.

"What melts in the Himalayas rises in the sea. This is what we saw live in front of our eyes on Wednesday. A burst in the Nepal-China border region in the Himalayas sent water rushing downstream, devastating areas of Nepal," he said, talking about the devastating floods in the Himalayan nation.

Calling for more ecological cooperation, the minister added that while this time the floods have not gone further downstream and impacted India, such incidents have happened in the past and may happen in the future.

"Fortunately, this time the floods have not gone further downstream to actually impact Indian areas bordering Nepal. But this has happened in the past."

In this context, the minister said that India, China, Nepal and Bhutan are connected by ecology and will have to keep their differences aside and work together.

"China, Nepal, India and Bhutan are connected by ecology and our shared survival and future depends on protecting the Himalayan ecology. There could be political rivalry, but we have to come together as the Himalayan region is most vulnerable to climate change," Khanal said.

Wednesday's flash floods had triggered alarm in areas of UP and Bihar on the Nepal border. The state governments had called emergency meetings and put administrations on alert to deal with any eventuality. Though the risk of impact was lower this time, the fears were real.

Several major rivers flow from Nepal into Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, most notably the Gandak River (also known as the Narayani), which saw the flash flood, and the Kosi River. These rivers originate in the Himalayas and Tibet before entering the Indian plains.

Making a case for cooperation, Khanal warned that ecological vulnerability in the Himalayan region may lead to a water crisis.

"As things change, there would be more vulnerability and the events could impact fresh water availability for two billion people in the region." Calling it a "civilisational threat", Khanal said: "It's important how we come together and act."