Over 1.2 million affected by over 10 major disasters across Himalayas in 2025: ICIMOD

DEHRADUN: More than 1.2 million people were displaced or directly affected by natural disasters across the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region in 2025, with at least four of the region’s eight countries witnessing over 10 major disaster events during the year, according to a new analysis by Kathmandu headquartered International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).The assessment highlights the growing vulnerability of Himalayan countries to extreme weather events and multi-hazard disasters driven by climate change and fragile mountain terrain.According to the analysis based on EM-DAT disaster records, countries across the HKH region — spanning parts of South and East Asia — suffered economic losses exceeding USD 6 billion in 2024 alone, with the majority of the damage linked to water-related hazards such as floods, landslides and storms.The situation continued into 2025, with intense monsoon rainfall triggering repeated floods and landslides across several Himalayan countries, including India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The report also noted incidents of glacial lake outburst floods in some areas.Researchers said the increasing impact of disasters in the Himalayan belt is being amplified by “multi-hazard” events — situations where several hazards occur simultaneously or trigger one another. Examples cited in the report include the 2013 Kedarnath floods in Uttarakhand, the 2023 South Lhonak glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim, and the 2021 Melamchi flood in Nepal.“Recent years show how floods, landslides, and other hazards are increasingly overlapping in mountain regions, amplifying damages to homes, infrastructure, and essential services,” said Pema Gyamtsho.The analysis noted that countries such as Myanmar, Pakistan and China experienced repeated monsoon-induced floods in 2025, leading to extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.Despite rising risks, ICIMOD said long-term data from 1975 to 2024 indicates a decline in death rates and the number of people affected by disasters in the HKH region after 2013. Researchers suggested that improvements in preparedness, early warning systems and climate services may be helping reduce casualties.“The numbers remain worrying, but the post-2013 trend suggests fewer lives are being affected year on year,” said Manish Shrestha. He stressed that sustained investments in preparedness and planning remain critical as climate risks intensify.The report cited the example of eastern Nepal, where flood early warning systems along the Khando River helped authorities alert and evacuate nearly 60,000 people during flooding in 2024.ICIMOD also warned that unless infrastructure planning and development projects incorporate multi-hazard risk assessments, vulnerable mountain communities could face even greater losses in the coming years as extreme weather events become more frequent and severe.