Himalayan hydropower buildout: Expert says risk management is key

# Why This Matters The Himalayan region's aggressive push toward hydropower expansion presents a critical test case for balancing energy development with climate resilience in one of the world's most geologically unstable zones. Recent flooding in Nepal and Tibet demonstrates that the region's infrastructure—whether dams, power plants, or transmission lines—faces mounting stress from intensifying monsoons and glacial melt, yet energy-poor nations view hydropower as essential to economic growth and electrification. Without rigorous risk management protocols, a major dam failure or cascade of infrastructure damage could displace hundreds of thousands of people, devastate regional water supplies, and undermine the energy security that projects promise to deliver. The outcome will reverberate beyond the Himalayas, as other developing nations in vulnerable geographies face identical pressures to rapidly scale hydropower capacity while managing climate-intensified hazards.