Flooding has been a recurrent natural disaster in Nepal, due to its geography, topography, and climatic conditions. Floods are particularly severe during the monsoon season, which runs from June to September, when heavy rainfall causes rivers to overflow their banks and cause widespread damage to communities living in low-lying areas.
One of the worst flood in recent history occurred in the summer of 2017, which affected over 4 million people in Nepal and caused widespread damage to infrastructure, homes, and crops. The floods and landslides triggered by the monsoon season, resulted in over 150 deaths and many more were injured. The disaster also caused massive displacement and humanitarian crisis.
Another severe flood occurred in August 2014, when heavy monsoon rains caused the Saptakoshi River in Eastern Nepal to burst its banks, causing widespread damage to homes and infrastructure. The flood affected over 600,000 people, killing over 150 people and injuring many more.
In addition to the monsoon floods, Nepal is also prone to flash floods caused by glacier lake outburst floods (GLOFs). These occur when the moraines or natural dams containing glacial lakes give way, releasing a large amount of water and causing flash floods downstream. These floods can be particularly devastating as they can happen with little warning and can cause a large amount of damage in a short period of time.
