Landslides in Nepal: A growing natural crisis

Nepal’s rugged mountains are reshaping themselves with alarming speed. Each monsoon season now brings a familiar cycle of slope failures, flash floods, and road blockages that endanger lives and stall development. Without urgent investment in slope stabilization, runoff control, and stronger rules for construction, the country will continue to face escalating losses.

Why slopes are failing more often

Landslides occur when layers of loose soil and weathered rock lose their grip on the underlying bedrock and give way under gravity. In Nepal’s steep terrain and youthful geology, this is a natural process. But in recent decades the odds of failure have shifted. More erratic and intense rainfall, warming temperatures, and expanding human activity on fragile slopes have pushed many hillsides to the brink.

Official disaster records from 2011 through August 2025 list 4,629 landslides nationwide. These events have claimed 1,906 lives, injured 1,591 people, and caused economic losses exceeding Rs 20.66 billion. The trend line is steep: the rate of landslides rose from 0.85 per 1,000 square kilometers in 2011 to 3.36 in 2023 and 6.82 in 2024, reflecting both changing climate patterns and the mounting pressure of infrastructure expansion.

High-altitude zones add another layer of risk. As temperatures rise, permafrost thaws and mountain rock becomes less stable, fueling more rockfalls and ice-rock avalanches. Many of these incidents happen far from settlements and go unreported, hiding part of the true burden of hazard in the high Himalaya.

From highways to hamlets: the mounting toll

This monsoon has again exposed the vulnerability of Nepal’s transport lifelines. On 8 August 2025, continuous rain triggered multiple slides near Jahare Khet along the Prithvi Highway in Dhading, grinding traffic to a halt on the key corridor linking Kathmandu with the west. Just days earlier, landslides blocked the Rapti Highway at Chorkhola in Salyan (4 August), while recurring slope failures repeatedly shut portions of the Karnali Highway in Kalikot.

Eastern routes have faced similar disruption. On 7 August, a slide at Ikhu closed the Araniko Highway in Sindhupalchok, the crucial connection to China. In early August, heavy rains triggered numerous blockages across Gulmi, Palpa, and Kalikot, underscoring how monsoon-driven slides can immobilize both mid-hill and mountain roads at once.

The risk extends deep into communities. In Nisikhola Rural Municipality of Baglung, local authorities have flagged more than 2,438 households as highly exposed to landslides and flooding. During the September 2024 monsoon alone, disasters affected 21 districts and damaged over 50 health facilities, cutting access to essential services when people needed them most.

Compounding the hazard are glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which are becoming more likely as glaciers retreat and lakes expand. In May 2025, one such flood in Humla damaged infrastructure and displaced around 32 people. Another major event in July 2025 swept away the Friendship Bridge over the Bhotekoshi River, causing at least eight fatalities, leaving dozens missing, and destroying hundreds of vehicles. These shocks mirror wider regional patterns across South Asia, where monsoon swings and glacial melt are intensifying downstream impacts.

How development choices amplify danger

Many roads are carved hastily into unstable slopes, often left unpaved and unprotected by basic geotechnical measures. Cut-and-fill operations, drilling, and heavy construction frequently undercut natural buttresses or block drainage pathways, priming slopes to fail when rains arrive. Rapid urban expansion and scattered rural settlement on marginal land add exposure. Earthquake shaking—past and future—can also loosen slopes, setting the stage for catastrophic failure during subsequent storms.

What works: a risk management playbook

Reducing landslide losses requires a full risk management cycle that blends science, engineering, planning, and policy:

• Evidence and mapping: Identify landslide-prone zones with detailed geologic and geomorphologic mapping, inventory past incidents, and maintain open, continuously updated hazard databases.
• Engineering defenses: Prioritize slope stabilization with bioengineering and retaining structures, properly designed drainage and culverts, terracing on road cuts, and regular maintenance to keep water off vulnerable faces.
• Early warning: Pair satellite rainfall estimates with ground sensors (rain gauges, soil moisture, tilt meters) and clear communication systems to trigger alerts and road closures before failure.
• Land-use planning: Restrict new settlements and critical facilities in high-risk zones; guide safer infill and relocate if necessary where risk is extreme.
• Preparedness and response: Equip and train local emergency teams, pre-position supplies, and ensure health services and evacuation routes remain accessible during peak monsoon periods.
• Policy and finance: Enforce land-use regulations and make geotechnical assessments mandatory for infrastructure. Expand risk transfer tools, including insurance and reinsurance, to protect households, businesses, and public assets.

A narrowing window

July and August mark the height of Nepal’s monsoon—and the most dangerous time for landslides. As climate volatility accelerates and development pushes deeper into unstable terrain, the gap between hazard and preparedness is widening. Investing now in slope stabilization, drainage, and responsible construction, backed by rigorous planning and enforcement, is the difference between recurring disaster and a safer, more resilient future.