Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 27 (ANI): Tibetan leaders in exile have expressed deep concern over the disaster along the Nepal-Tibet border, describing the incident as a horrific calamity and calling for a detailed examination of its possible causes.
They also urged authorities to step up rescue and relief efforts in the affected areas and stressed the need to ensure the safety of communities living in the ecologically fragile Himalayan region.
Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile Dolma Tsering Teykhang told ANI that the scale of the disaster was deeply distressing and offered condolences to those who lost their lives and belongings.
"It is very unfortunate. The national calamity was really horrific to watch, so you can well imagine how the people must have endured that horrible incident. I pay my deepest, heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost their lives, who have lost their belongings and their ancestral and family properties, and to all the Nepalese affected by this horrific natural calamity," she said.
Teykhang said it was important to establish whether the disaster was entirely natural or whether human factors could also have played a role.
"So far, we haven't received any report. It could be both natural plus man-made. So, if it is man-made, then we have to really go into a deep investigation of what's happening in Tibet, because Tibet is the place where this natural calamity has happened and the brunt of it, the Nepalese who are just next to Tibet, have to bear it," she said.
She also called for dialogue between Nepal and China to understand developments at the source of the disaster.
"I think the Nepal government will have a very constructive talk with the People's Republic of China to share what are the things are going on at the very origin of that cause and then try to sort it out," she said.
Meanwhile, Tempa Gyaltsen, Joint Secretary in the Information Department of the Tibetan government-in-exile, described the disaster as "absolutely heartbreaking" and called for maximum efforts to reach the affected region.
"This is absolutely heartbreaking that there could be a lot of loss of life, both in Tibet and Nepal. So, we are really very sad about it and all our prayers are for the quick recovery from the disaster. We also urge everyone and the concerned authorities to make maximum efforts to reach the affected region," he told ANI.
Gyaltsen said videos emerging from the area showed the severity of the situation and raised questions about the sudden surge of water.
"The situation is very, very difficult. As you have seen some videos on social media, it is terrifying. As an environmentalist, we have done work in this area. I fear that this could be more than a glacier slide, landslide or mudslide, as the Chinese say, but there could be something else beyond that," he said.
"What really caused that enormous surge of water suddenly coming through? How come the community there, particularly the border security people, did not get the forewarning of the water surging from the side of Tibet?" he asked.
Gyaltsen said the disaster should serve as a warning to countries across the Himalayan region about the risks associated with climate change and large-scale construction projects.
"This disaster happening on the border between Tibet and Nepal is a clear warning to everyone in this part of the world, particularly India, Nepal, Pakistan, Tibet-China and other regions, that any sort of mega construction or mega projects in those regions are at risk from earthquakes, landslides or glacier slides because of climate change," he said.
"This is a forewarning that we should be very, very careful about anything that we do in those regions. People's safety and welfare should be given maximum importance," he added. (ANI)
Nepal-Tibet border disaster: Tibetan parliament officials express grief, seek probe, raise environmental concerns
