Nepal, Aug. 26 -- Look at the Bhotekoshi riverbed in Northern Rasuwa. On the morning of August 26, a sudden 10-metre wall of water swept through Timure and Syabrubesi, destroying many settlements, tearing apart the customs infrastructure, ripping down police posts, damaging hydropower facilities, and snapping newly completed bridges along our primary trade route. The official reports across Kathmandu ministries will inevitably cite an 'unprecedented hydrological surge/event'. But when an event hits the same landscape more than once in a decade, calling it a 'surprise' is just poor planning and shortsightedness.

We are building a country for a climate that no longer exists.

Go through any strategic document in Kathmandu, whether it is a ...