Asia Defense | Security | South Asia

The Climate Crisis Is Stretching the Nepali Military Beyond Its Limits

The question here is not whether the military should be involved in disaster response, but how the military itself is responding, adapting, and transforming amid the climate crisis.

The footage of the avalanche that triggered devastating floods along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers near the China-Nepal border on August 26 is deeply sobering. The road, bridges, customs, and immigration office with China, and the entire settlement and traditional bazaar along the riverbank, were wiped out in a moment. 

In the wake of the flood, the Nepali government deployed security forces, including the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force, as first responders. Nepal has put more than 20,000 security personal into responding to the disaster, possibly the largest such deployment since the aftermath of the 2015 earthquake. The collapse of local and provincial governments and the inaccessibility of flood-affected areas prompted the government to rely on the security forces at a desperate moment. 

The use of security forces in disaster response is not new in Nepal. Security forces often get involved, ranging from rescue and relief operations to rehabilitation activities. The Nepali Constitution 2015 (2072 BS) enshrined a provision for deploying the military in national crises arising from disasters and development projects. The National Security Policy (2016) also considers climate change and the environment as part of the national interest. 

But the ad hoc stretching of the security forces into disaster response can result in the security forces themselves being increasingly exposed to vulnerabilities and capacity constraints amid the climate crisis in Nepal. As environmental disasters become more frequent and severe in the Himalayan region, the recent flood must be an important case study in the growing complexity of the military’s engagement in disaster governance and preparedness. 

The scale and intensity of the recent flood was unimaginable and it is becoming evident that there were significant casualties among security forces. A week since the incident, and a total of 85 security force members – encompassing 45 from the Nepal Army, 28 from the Nepal Police, and 13 from the Armed Police Force – are still unaccounted for. 

The police forces went missing while on duty near the border, customs area, and river corridor. Some Nepal police personnel went missing due to a sudden surge in flooding while circulating a notice to downstream communities. Similarly, Nepal army personnel were on duty at Langtang National Park and were stationed at multiple hydropower projects. Armed police forces went missing from a border post. In addition, three police posts in Timure, Rasuwagadhi, and Syafrubesi were damaged or swept away. 

The unique circumstances of the flood gave security personnel very little time to respond. The absence of an early warning system and the lack of any cross-border disaster communication........

© The Diplomat