Nitin Agarwala

The flash floods of August 26, 2026, along the Nepal-Tibet border are one of the most devastating Himalayan disasters since the 2015 earthquake. Some believe that the event was driven by anthropogenic activities. Others attribute it to climate change. To have greater clarity of the primary cause and to draw lessons for the future, this paper examines the catalysts behind the disaster. Although the primary geological event may have been rooted in climate change, the catastrophic scale of downstream destruction seems to have been greatly amplified by manmade vulnerabilities. Unplanned development leading to high density of downstream settlements, unabated infrastructure activities in the seismically weak Himalayas, and proliferation of high-risk hydropower infrastructure in narrow valleys significantly multiplied the economic and human toll. Hence, the calamity cannot be categorized as purely natural or manmade but a compound one, where climate-induced cryospheric instability collided with systemic failures in climate-resilient engineering and transboundary early-warning systems. The study concludes with policy recommendations for transboundary disaster risk reduction in the warming Himalayas.

Natural Built Social Environment Health (NBSEH) is a Diamond Open Access, peer-reviewed journal publishing research on environmental health, sustainability, and the interactions between natural, built and social environments and public health.

Natural Built Social Environment Health (NBSEH) is a Diamond Open Access, peer-reviewed journal publishing research on environmental health, sustainability, and the interactions between natural, built and social environments and public health.

Freshwater scarcity causes social, economic, political, and environmental unrest. With unequal freshwater distribution globally, trading of freshwater can be a possible solution. But water trade, unlike oil trade, is not a recognized market. It would require a water trading fleet. Repurposed oil carriers as a scalable, flexible solution could be a first step. Engineering modifications, special internal coatings, environmental considerations, and port loading and unloading infrastructure optimization are examined. Cost-benefit analysis of capital expenditure and operational expenditure towards fuel, logistics, transportation, and maintenance are discussed. These are considered against known desalination costs to determine geographical and distance-based thresholds where maritime transport becomes competitive. By bridging gaps between decommissioned maritime assets and acute freshwater deficits, the study provides a comprehensive framework for policy makers, marine engineers, and economists to enhance freshwater resilience using the existing global shipping capacity.

The Panama Canal is facing severe operational challenges because of declining freshwater availability. Mass felling of trees in the watershed area of the Canal has drastically reduced the region’s ability to retain water and attract rainfall. Rising global temperatures and irregular precipitation patterns caused by climate change have disrupted the Canal’s freshwater supply significantly. This has resulted in lower water levels in Gatún and Alajuela Lakes, freshwater sources for the operations of the Canal. These declining water levels have led to shipping restrictions, increased transit fees, and economic strain on Panama's economy. Local communities are suffering from water shortage, forced displacement, and socio-economic instability because of conservation projects and alternative water management strategies. This study examines the underlying causes, consequences, and mitigation measures related to the drying of the Canal. Some interventions are identified: large-scale reforestation, improved water conservation techniques, and enhanced governance to mitigate this crisis. The Canal requires an integrated approach to secure its future in sustaining global maritime trade.