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Environment & Climate

Severe flooding in Nepal damages hydropower infrastructure and leaves hundreds missing

Catastrophic floods across the Himalayas have taken roughly 10% of Nepal's power capacity offline and trapped hundreds of workers in submerged tunnels.

Updated Aug 31, 2026 · 13:34 UTC1 reports

The short version

  • Rescuers in Nepal are searching for up to 900 missing workers following catastrophic flooding, with hundreds believed to be trapped in hydropower tunnels.
  • The disaster destroyed or damaged multiple operating and under-construction hydropower facilities, knocking out 700 megawatts of electricity.
  • Combined disaster tolls across Nepal and China have reached more than 900 dead and 4,700 missing.
  • Disaster and climate experts are calling for overhauled infrastructure planning and alternative energy generation like decentralized solar power to mitigate climate risks in the Himalayas.

Key facts

  • The Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal reports up to 900 workers are unaccounted for from a dozen hydropower projects following last week's floods.[ABC News]
  • Over 900 people have died and 4,700 remain missing across Nepal and China due to the flooding.[ABC News]
  • The flooding knocked out 700 megawatts of power in Nepal, representing approximately 10% of the nation's total electricity capacity.[ABC News]
  • Hydropower installations across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts suffered partial or total destruction.[ABC News]
  • The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure estimates that $124 billion of Nepal's infrastructure faces exposure to climate-driven disasters, causing an average of nearly $760 million in annual losses.[ABC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The exact number of workers surviving inside the submerged hydropower tunnels remains unverified as rescue operations continue.[ABC News]
  • It is uncertain whether early warning systems reached downstream hydropower facilities in time after the flood was detected at the China-Nepal border.[ABC News]

Sources