Nepal plans to restore early warning system on border with China
Nepal plans to restore an early warning system for landslides along a section of its border with China after a glacial flood claimed more than a thousand lives. As the Jerusalem Post reports, citing Reuters, seismic sensors, cameras and satellite communications are to be installed in the border settlement of Timure in Rasuwa district.
Two unnamed sources in the Nepalese government told Reuters about the plan. The country has not officially announced it. The equipment will be placed along the river corridor on the border with China, where a glacier collapse caused a flow of mud, water and rocks through mountain valleys.
According to Reuters, at least 1,114 people died in the two countries, with the overwhelming majority in Nepal. Nearly 4,000 people are still considered missing.
Communications for monitoring posts
A key part of the plan is the Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) satellite system. It is intended to maintain communication between monitoring posts if mobile networks are not operating, allowing specialists to detect new threats and promptly transmit warnings.
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During the flood, at least four measuring stations near the border failed. According to one Reuters source, the previous system included sensors and monitoring stations that sent messages every few minutes, but they were not monitored closely enough. These facilities were later washed away by the flood.
Unstable terrain
At the first stage, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority will install cameras, sensors and VSAT at one location, and later plans to deploy additional sites. Officials have already surveyed the area from a helicopter to assess possible locations for installing the equipment.
The immediate danger from two dammed lakes that formed after the glacier collapse near the border has passed after they drained. At the same time, the terrain remains unstable and is under observation. According to the source, the warning system may give authorities only a few minutes to alert communities downstream.
Last week's flood hit the border point at 8:32, while a public warning was issued at 9:13. China said it had provided Nepal with images of the affected areas, satellite and hydrological data, as well as early warning information about dammed lakes upstream.
