Heavy rains swept across eastern Nepal and neighboring India in early October 2025, unleashing devastating floods and landslides that have left dozens dead, thousands displaced, and vital infrastructure in ruins. The deluge, which began on October 3, struck hardest in Nepal’s Ilam district and the flat Terai plains, as well as India’s Darjeeling region, prompting a massive emergency response and raising urgent questions about climate change, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), as of October 7, at least 52 people had lost their lives and four remained missing due to the floods and landslides across Nepal. The situation was especially dire in Ilam, where local police confirmed the death toll had reached 39 by Tuesday, with one person still unaccounted for. The body of Pravesh Gurung, 24, was recovered on October 7 after being missing for four days, underscoring the grim toll exacted on local communities (as reported by The Rising Nepal).
Rescue and relief operations have faced serious obstacles. Roads across Ilam district remain blocked, isolating remote villages and making it difficult for rescue teams to reach those in need. Even a Nepali Army helicopter dispatched for emergency evacuations couldn’t land due to persistent bad weather, according to Sunita Nepal, Ilam’s Chief District Officer. Pregnant women and patients in remote areas have been particularly hard-hit, with medical evacuations delayed and access to care hampered by landslide-blocked roads.
The government’s response, however, has been widely praised. At a press conference, Dinesh Prasad Bhatta, Executive Chief of the NDRRMA, outlined a series of immediate actions: “Road networks, communication, and electricity services will be restored immediately through coordination among all three tiers of government.” He also announced that international-level training and rescue equipment would be provided to Nepal’s disaster response teams, aiming to strengthen preparedness for future emergencies.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki, who took office as interim leader following political unrest and protests in September, chaired the NDRRMA meeting that set these plans in motion. The Ministry of Health, working with provincial and local authorities, has mobilized to prevent disease outbreaks in flood-affected areas. Meanwhile, 47 injured individuals are receiving free treatment at hospitals across the region.
In Ilam, the Koshi Provincial Government has spearheaded the distribution of relief materials. Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki personally flew to Mangsebung Rural Municipality and Ilam Municipality with supplies including rice, lentils, tarpaulins, and blankets. “Additional relief will be sent to Deumai, Sandakpur and Maijogmai areas on Wednesday,” his press coordinator, Bikram Luitel, told local media. Given the army helicopter’s 1,000-kilogram payload limit, supplies are also being transported by road and on foot to reach the most isolated settlements.
Financial assistance has been pledged as well. The Koshi Province Government announced Rs. 100,000 for the family of each person who died in the disaster. To help those stranded during the busy festival season, free bus services have been launched in Ilam, with vehicles provided by local schools, social workers, and organizations. The Ilam Hotel Entrepreneurs Association stepped in to offer free accommodation and food for stranded passengers and hospital-bound individuals, with Association president Devi Paudel emphasizing support for the most vulnerable.
In neighboring Jhapa district, the situation is equally dire. About 25,000 people from nearly 5,000 families are expected to face food shortages after floodwaters submerged homes, destroying food stocks and clothing. Lokraj Dhakal, chairperson of the Nepal Red Cross Society’s Jhapa chapter, remarked, “In my 40 years of work in disaster response, I have never witnessed such devastation.” Emergency food relief is being coordinated through a “One for One” campaign, with each family receiving rice, lentils, salt, oil, potatoes, blankets, and mattresses.
The causes behind this year’s disaster are complex. According to Al Jazeera, the heavy rains were the result of “an exceptionally intense and concentrated monsoon downpour,” driven by moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal. Some areas, like Ilam and Rautahat, recorded more than 300mm of rain in just two days—well above the 150mm threshold considered “extremely heavy.”
Topography played a critical role in the scale of the destruction. The Terai plains, with their flat, low-lying landscapes, were easily overwhelmed by floodwaters, while the steep slopes of Ilam proved vulnerable to deadly landslides. Pawan Bhattarai, an assistant professor at Tribhuvan University, explained, “The massive volume of water overwhelmed the flat plains... causing widespread flooding. Simultaneously, the same intense rainfall destabilised the steep slopes of hilly districts like Ilam, triggering the fatal landslides.”
Poor infrastructure and unscientific development have amplified the damage. Road expansions that destabilize slopes and encroachment on natural landscapes have made landslides and flooding more likely. The frequently disrupted Narayangadh-Mugling highway is a case in point, with inadequate planning and safeguards exacerbating the impact of heavy rains.
Experts also pointed to the increased frequency of extreme weather events as a likely consequence of climate change. Bhattarai noted, “Such extreme monsoon events are highly unusual and a major concern. This pattern of back-to-back intense flooding... is consistent with the effects of climate change, which is intensifying the hydrological cycle and making severe weather events more frequent.”
The government’s response this year has drawn comparisons to the handling of last year’s floods, which saw more than 200 deaths and criticism over delayed action. This time, the interim administration responded quickly to weather forecasts, issued early warnings, closed vulnerable roads, and declared a two-day national holiday as a precaution. Police used loudspeakers to warn residents, and technical personnel were stationed in advance in high-risk areas. Sumana Shrestha, a former minister, told The Kathmandu Post, “The interim government performed much better than the Oli government’s response last year.”
Nonetheless, challenges remain. Logistical hurdles, widespread infrastructure damage, and the scale of the disaster have made relief and reconstruction difficult. As Bhattarai cautioned, “Timely warnings and evacuation systems can significantly reduce human casualties from floods, but this event highlights a critical gap in mitigating landslide fatalities, which are far more sudden and deadly.” He called for a major shift in policy toward comprehensive watershed management and slope stabilization—areas that have long been neglected.
As the rains have finally eased, with districts in Kathmandu recording less than 5mm in the past 24 hours, the focus is shifting to recovery. Reconstruction work will begin once full damage assessments are complete, and the government has pledged to restore essential services as quickly as possible. For the thousands who have lost loved ones, homes, or livelihoods, the road to recovery will be long and challenging—but the collective response of local communities, government agencies, and aid organizations offers a glimmer of hope amid the devastation.