Nepal bet nearly everything on hydropower - the floods show why that's a problem
Nepal's heavy reliance on hydropower is facing significant challenges due to climate change-induced flooding. Recent disasters have destroyed infrastructure and wiped out over 10% of the nation's power generation capacity, prompting officials to reconsider their energy policy.
Why it matters
This highlights the vulnerability of nations that depend on a single renewable energy source in the face of accelerating climate instability.
Image source, Didier Marti Image caption, Until eight years ago, Nepal used to struggle with lengthy power cuts
Almost 100% of Nepal's electricity comes from hydropower, and it produces so much it earns nearly $200m (£147m) each year exporting hydroelectricity to India and Bangladesh.
But the very glaciers and mountains giving Nepal this massive natural advantage are succumbing to global warming - and last Wednesday's deadly floods have laid bare the risks to the nation's hydropower ambitions.
More than 1,300 people were killed, while thousands more are still missing.
The floods, which destroyed entire villages near the border of Nepal and Tibet, severely damaged 12 hydropower plants in the Trishuli River basin and knocked out more than 10% of Nepal's total power generation capacity. Operators tell the BBC they don't yet know if any of these facilities can be brought back to operation.
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