Kathmandu, May 14 (PTI) Four of the eight countries in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region experienced over 10 major disasters in 2025 with about 1.2 million people directly affected, ICIMOD said Thursday.
The analysis by the inter-governmental body, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) also said the increasing impact of disasters in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region may be linked to the growing prevalence of multi-hazard events, especially in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan, but the post-2013 trend suggests fewer lives are being hit year-on-year.
Almost 240 million people depend on the glaciers and 10 major rivers, such as Indus, Ganga, and Brahmaputra, originating in the Himalayas. Another billion people living downstream of these rivers across eight countries, including India, too are dependent on the glacier-fed rivers.
Asia accounted for a large share of disasters globally in 2025, a trend reflected in the HKH region, which spans parts of South and East Asia. “Analysis of EM (Environmental Monitoring) Data shows that countries in the HKH region experienced economic losses of more than USD USD 6 billion in 2024 alone from these events, with most linked to water-related hazards such as floods, landslides and storms,” the ICIMOD said in a statement.
“Intense monsoon rainfall triggered repeated flooding and landslides across several HKH countries, such as Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan,” it said, adding, “Other hazards, such as glacial lake outburst floods, were also reported in select locations.” “Across the region, about 1.2 million people were displaced or directly affected by disasters during the year,” it added.
Globally, disaster-related economic losses in 2025 were estimated at around USD USD 169 billion. In comparison, losses recorded across the HKH highlight how extreme events translate into disproportionate impacts in a region characterised by complex terrain and high exposure, the statement said.
The data released by ICIMOD also indicates that Myanmar, Pakistan, and China experienced a series of monsoon-induced floods in 2025, resulting in widespread damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
“The increasing impact of disasters in the HKH may be linked to the growing prevalence of multi-hazard events, which means incidents of more than one type of hazard, such as floods, landslides, or droughts occurring at the same time.
“Past examples in the region include the Kedarnath floods in Uttarakhand in 2013, and the South Lhonak glacial lake outburst flood in Sikkim in 2023 and the Melamchi flood in Nepal in 2021,” according to ICIMOD.
“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, Director General at ICIMOD.
Long-term data covering the period from 1975 to 2024 shows a decline in death rates and the number of people affected by disasters in the HKH after 2013.
But analysts cautioned that data gaps may influence this trend, but improvements in preparedness and early warning systems may also be contributing factors.
“The numbers are still worrying, but the post-2013 trend suggests fewer lives are being affected year on year, which may reflect better climate services and preparedness in parts of the region,” said Manish Shrestha, a hydrologist at ICIMOD.
“Sustained investment in preparedness and planning remains critical as risks continue to rise,” he said.
Early warning systems have been credited with reducing losses in some flood-prone areas, it said and gave the example of eastern Nepal where alerts issued from a flood early warning system along the Khando River in 2024 helped inform and evacuate around 60,000 people living downstream.
ICIMOD analysts noted that reducing future disaster losses in the HKH will also depend on risk-informed investments, where development and infrastructure planning take multi-hazard risks into account.
“Without integrating hazard and vulnerability data into investment decisions, exposed communities risk locking in higher losses as climate-driven extremes intensify,” the analyst said.
Headquartered in Kathmandu, ICIMOD is an intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre working on behalf of and for the people of the eight regional member countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. PTI SBP NPK NPK
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