KATHMANDU, September 15 — India has approved the emergency export of up to 654 megawatts of electricity to Nepal for 18 hours a day through December 31, after floods triggered by an August 26 glacial collapse wiped out roughly a tenth of the Himalayan nation’s power generation.
The deluge began when an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Xizang border sent torrents down the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, sweeping away homes, roads, bridges and at least 12 hydropower plants. More than 1,400 people were killed across Nepal and the Xizang region of China, and over 5,600 remain missing — including about 900 power-station workers, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Hydropower supplied nearly all of Nepal’s electricity before the floods. With the country’s main hydropower region in Bagmati province ravaged, Kathmandu halted exports and must now import to cover domestic demand. India’s Ministry of Power said the supply — transmitted via the Muzaffarpur–Dhalkebar 400 kV and Tanakpur–Mahendranagar 132 kV lines, effective September 13 — would help meet requirements “during this difficult period” and strengthen the two neighbors’ long-standing energy cooperation.
The scale of the setback is stark. A government-led assessment put damage and reconstruction needs at about USD 4.78 billion, while the United Nations and its partners appealed for nearly USD 50 million in humanitarian aid. Nepal has also sought China’s assistance to rebuild the Syaphrubesi–Rasuwagadhi trade route, a key corridor severely damaged in the floods.
The disaster underscores a structural vulnerability for the region. A study released this month warns that the Himalayas are approaching a “peak water” tipping point as glaciers melt faster than a decade ago, exposing poorer nations to catastrophes they did little to cause. For Kathmandu, the Indian power lifeline buys time; rebuilding a resilient grid in a warming Himalaya will take far longer.