Nepal flood sparks fresh debate over safety of Himalayan dams and hydropower projects

A devastating flood in Nepal has prompted engineers and environmental specialists to raise urgent questions about the safety of dam construction and hydropower development across the Himalayan region.

While harnessing the rivers that rush through the world's highest mountain range holds considerable promise for generating clean electricity across South Asia, critics warn that the terrain presents unique and poorly understood hazards.

The Nepal disaster has intensified calls for a thorough reassessment of how such infrastructure projects are planned, built and maintained in one of the world's most geologically volatile landscapes, where the consequences of failure can be catastrophic for communities living downstream.