Nepal Floods: Understanding the Crisis and the Way Forward

Date: Friday, September 18, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM (U.S. Central Time)
Format: Virtual Webinar / Information Session

Prof. Vishnu Prasad Pandey, PhD
Executive Director, Centre for International Relations, Tribhuvan University, Nepal
Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University

Prof. Rabin Bhattarai, PhD
Professor, Soil and Water Resources Engineering
Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Join CSAMES for a virtual panel and information session examining the devastating recent floods in Nepal. The conversation will bring together Professor Vishnu Prasad Pandey of Tribhuvan University and Professor Rabin Bhattarai of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to discuss what is currently understood about the disaster and the questions that remain.

Professor Pandey will offer his perspective on the possible causes of the flooding, its propagation, and potential pathways forward, drawing on his expertise in civil engineering and water resources and his institutional perspective from Nepal. Professor Bhattarai will continue the broader discussion and help contextualize the situation for the UIUC community. The session aims to provide informed perspectives on the disaster while creating space to discuss its implications and aftermath. Professor Pandey is expected to speak for approximately 45 minutes before the discussion continues with Professor Bhattarai.

The event grew out of CSAMES’s effort to provide the UIUC community with reliable information about the destruction in Nepal, ongoing efforts, and possible ways to help, drawing on specialists familiar with the region.