A call for inclusive disaster risk reduction

Disasters have differential impacts on various groups, but preparedness and responses remain generalised.

The incessant rain of October 4-5, 2025, completely submerged the Durga Bhagwati Municipality of Rautahat District. The flood not only entered people’s homes but also inundated the municipal hospital. Among the displaced were women in the late stages of their pregnancy seeking maternal health services. The local government, with the support of humanitarian agencies, immediately set up a temporary maternity unit that provided emergency delivery care for 21 women. This story is not isolated to Durga Bhagwati Municipality. The floods and landslides brought by the same rainfall event affected 30,000 families in Bagmati, Madhesh and Koshi provinces. Such disasters occur every year, impacting the lives and economy of the country.