The tragedy unfolding in Nepal is a reminder of the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem. The jury is out on what exactly caused Wednesday’s flash flood in the Bhote Koshi River, which has claimed at least 270 lives and left several hundred missing. Satellite analysis points to a massive collapse of glacier ice and rock in Tibet, which temporarily obstructed the river before releasing a destructive surge downstream. The landslide was so intense it was initially thought to be an earthquake. By the time it reached the China-Nepal border, the cascading debris reportedly resembled a tsunami of mud. Authorities have correctly made rescue their immediate priority. Experts are working to pinpoint the cause of the calamity. The next step should be to find ways to keep local people, pilgrims, and tourists out of harm’s way in a region of high vulnerability to nature’s vagaries.

Floods, landslides, and glacial lake bursts are not alien to the Himalayan region. In 2013, the Kedarnath disaster in Uttarakhand killed thousands after exceptionally heavy rainfall triggered floods and landslides across the Mandakini and Alaknanda valleys. Five years ago, a massive debris flow in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district killed more than 200 people and damaged hydropower projects. The disaster was linked to a rock-and-ice avalanche in a Himalayan valley. Then, in 2023, the collapse of the South Lhonak glacial lake in Sikkim sent a wall of water down the Teesta Valley, killing at least 50 people and damaging dams, bridges and roads. There is, however, a crucial difference between these calamities and Wednesday’s tragedy: The latter happened in peak monsoon season when the rivers already have a fair amount of water. A surging river with large rocks can erode banks and slopes and collect more debris along the way.

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That’s why cooperation between upstream and downstream Himalayan nations shouldn’t be limited to rescue and relief efforts. As temperatures rise, systems that monitor rapidly rising river levels, intense rainfall and seismic activity will become increasingly important to alert people in villages and towns located near melting glaciers or thawing permafrost. There are already foundations for such cooperation. The World Meteorological Organisation’s South Asia Hydromet Forum brings together the region’s meteorological and hydrological agencies, while the South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System provides regional forecasting and guidance. These systems need to be scaled up to enable greater sharing of data, forecasting expertise and early-warning systems among countries in the Himalayan region. Despite geopolitical differences, India and China are often on the same page in climate negotiations. Their shared outlook on protecting development imperatives now needs to be translated into securing people’s lives.