Nepal's Killer Floods Will Return Soon, Experts Warn

Severe flooding crashed through Nepal and India within the past few days, killing more than 160 people and destroying thousands-upon-thousands of homes. More than 130 people are still missing, according to international press.

It has been raining in western Nepal and northern India since Thursday, flooding homes and rivers and creating natural landslides which have buried homes and people. Both the Associated Press (AP) and Agence France-Presse report that between 130 and 180 are confirmed dead, with more than 100 dying in mudslides in Nepal alone.

Officials in Nepal also have expressed concerns about a potential cholera outbreak after flooded sewage mixed with landslides in the devastated region, BBC News reported Monday.

In India, more than 1,500 villages are inundated in the Uttar Pradesh state, according to BBC.

"The flood situation arose following heavy downpours in Nepal, which led to overflowing rivers which originate in the Himalayan region including Tibet and Nepal," chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh Alok Ranjan explained, addressing the media.

While the worst of the rain appears to have finally let up, Maharaj Pandit at the University of Delhi, India, told New Scientists that this wasn't some freak occurrence.

The rainy season in South Asia runs from June through September. Landslides in mountainous areas and flooding in the southern plains are common during the monsoon season.

"It is not unusual to have flash floods," he said; but that doesn't necessarily mean things aren't getting worse.

Pandit  points to a study conducted in 2013 that found that flooding and severe mud slides around this time of year have been occurring in the central Himalaya's for at least 1000 years. What's concerning, was that surveys of the region found that flooding events were occurring within shrinking windows of time.

"What we're seeing is the interval between two extreme events is now shortening," Pandit said. "The events are getting much closer."

And that means natural obstacles for mudslides such as small forests and geological formations have less time to recover.

It has also been suggested that changing trade-winds in the wake of climate change will only bring even more precipitation during wet seasons to some areas, even while others will be struck with uncharacteristic droughts.

Pandit believes that these are perfectly adequate reasons for urgent action to be taken to protect vulnerable regions like India and Nepal.