We Didn’t Learn the Word, But We’re Living the Crisis

Photo : Dr. Manjurul Karim

Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Our rugged mountains, monsoon-fed rivers, reliance on natural resources for daily living, and unplanned development have all made us vulnerable. Now, with global climate change accelerating, that vulnerability is only growing.

Temperatures are rising. Rainfall patterns are becoming increasingly erratic. Air pollution is worsening. Glaciers are melting faster, swelling glacial lakes to dangerous levels and increasing the risk of sudden floods. The signs of climate change are no longer distant; they are here, and they are affecting us now.

We're seeing more intense rainfall in shorter periods and longer stretches without any rain. These extremes have caused frequent and severe disasters. Our water sources are drying up, impacting everything from food security and drinking water to biodiversity, public health, and energy supply. Infrastructure, hydropower, urban development, and even agriculture are struggling to keep up.

Climate change is also affecting what we grow and how we raise animals. Floods, droughts, landslides, and hailstorms have caused crop and livestock losses of 10% to 30% in some areas. The combination of worsening food security, health problems, and social inequality could mean even greater challenges in the future. 

Photo : Dr. Manjurul Karim

The rainy season is just around the corner, but the rains we get now don’t feel like the ones I remember.  I want to share my experiences and how things have changed over time. The rains used to be gentle and rhythmic and would last for days. These days, they come all at once, harsh, fast, and loud, like someone tipped over a bucket in the sky.

I still remember the rains from when I was younger. I used to take our goats and cattle out to graze, and we would sometimes be out in the rain for days. It was not scary, just steady rain and thick fog. The kind of fog that blanketed everything so deeply, it made us joke about “fog tigers” hiding nearby. We would huddle with the animals, waiting it out.

But now, things have changed. And it’s not just me who feels it; everyone in the village says the same. The rain doesn’t fall like it used to. It pours violently, sometimes for just a few minutes, and it’s enough to wash away soil, plants, leaves, and even parts of the hills. Landslides are becoming more common. The land doesn’t seem to absorb the water anymore. Even a small downpour can cause cracks and start a slide. And it's getting worse every year.

These changes did not happen overnight. I have seen them unfold slowly over the past 15 years. And honestly, I worry about what is coming next. People here might not talk about “climate change” in fancy words, but they feel it in their fields, in their homes, and in their daily lives. In rural areas like ours, the impacts are more visible and more painful. 

Take my own family, for example. We used to have an apple orchard. I remember harvesting sacks of apples; we would eat them for months and sell the rest for 15 to 20 rupees per kilo. Now...? Not a single tree alive. They have even died due to heat and climate change. We lost an entire source of income that took years to grow and just a couple of years to destroy.

It’s been nearly ten years since we last saw real snowfall in our village. Even when snow does fall, it melts before it touches the ground. I still remember how we used to play in the snow for days, build snow piles, and see it frozen on the ground for days. Now, it’s just a memory.

And the government? We don’t expect much. They seem to be waiting for money from rich countries, money that hasn’t come due to various reasons, and even when it does, it often gets spent elsewhere. Meanwhile, developed countries keep running their industries and earning billions by burning fossil fuels. And who is suffering the consequences of all that...? 

Just a few days ago, while global leaders were gathered in Kathmandu talking about saving the Himalayas at the "Sagarmatha Sambaad" (16, 17, and 18 May 2025) conference, a glacial lake burst in the remote Limi Valley of western Nepal. A massive landslide struck Tilgaon village in Namkha Rural Municipality, displacing the entire community. That’s climate change not in theory, but in real life.

We talk so much about development and progress: roads, buildings, and cities growing fast. But with that, the heat is rising, the weather is changing, and the balance of nature is breaking. Everyone has played a part, but not everyone is paying the price. The ones enjoying the comforts often don’t feel the hardship, and the ones feeling the pain rarely get to enjoy the comfort.

When it comes to disaster risk reduction, the government has taken some steps, investing in early warning systems, allocating resources, and declaring climate resilience a national priority. But significant challenges remain on the ground. A study by ICIMOD shows that 47 glacial lakes in the Himalayan region are at risk of bursting, and 21 of those are in Nepal. If we don't reduce emissions, up to 80% of our glaciers could melt by the year 2100. The Himalayas are warming faster than most other parts of the planet, putting global ecosystems and services like clean water and air at serious risk.

Photo : Dr. Manjurul Karim

Thank you.