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Abstract

The Himalayan region is known for its dynamic landscape that is prone to a range of hydrogeomorphological hazards, including landslides, flash floods, debris flows, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). These hazards pose a significant threat to the development of hydropower projects in the region, which are considered vital for energy security, expansion of renewables, and economic development. In this talk, I will provide an overview on recent natural extreme events in the Himalayas that inflicted severe damage to hydropower facilities. The examples highlight the importance of sediment dynamics in modulating and aggravating hydrogeomorphological events, a factor insufficiently included in prior hazard and risk analyses. Simple geomorphometric relations enable predicting where sediment-driven natural hazards lead to a strong exposure of Himalayan hydropower. We develop and test a model using a compilation of existing, currently constructed and planned hydropower projects, and show that current trends in expansion will lead to a higher exposure of hydropower projects to hydrogeomorphological hazards.