Koshi province, which is frequently causing loss of human wealth due to natural disasters, is now known as the most sensitive disaster area in the country. Due to the geographical situation that extends from the mountains to the plains, natural and man-made disasters such as floods, landslides, inundation, lightning, and fires have been causing huge human and material losses here.

Looking at the data for the past decade, 1,028 people lost their lives in 11,937 disasters in Koshi province. Similarly, more than 73 thousand families are directly affected.

According to Ramkumar Dahal, a member of the Koshi Province Disaster Management Executive Committee and a disaster expert, this province has reached the 'red zone' in terms of disaster risk. "Due to the geographical situation, climate change, unplanned expansion of settlements and structural weakness, Koshi is at risk," says Dahal. Experts suggest that effective measures should be taken immediately for

disaster reduction and management. They have emphasized that planning and implementation should be done in a coordinated manner between local level, state government and federal agencies.

Stakeholders say that there is a need to prioritize public awareness, preparedness, timely vigilance and restoration of risky areas in order to reduce the damage caused by disaster. Disasters like floods, landslides, lightning and earthquakes have been recurring in Koshi province, which is constantly suffering from natural disasters. According to the data of the last decade, more than 700 people have lost their lives due to such disasters.

According to disaster expert Dahal, the most lightning strikes have been seen in Koshi. In the last 10 years, 246 people have died due to lightning alone. "The risk of lightning is higher in Koshi than floods and landslides," says Dahal.

After that, landslides killed 242 people and floods killed 186 people. 62 people lost their lives due to the earthquake, including the devastating earthquake of 2072. According to Dahal, Koshi province is also at high risk in terms of earthquakes. "More than 70 percent of the houses here are made of mud and stone," he says, "and there is a risk that even a normal earthquake can destroy them and cause great damage." 

Last year, the country had to face the worst floods of the decade. 239 people lost their lives in that flood and more than 17 thousand people were rescued. Similarly, 39 hydropower projects were damaged due to floods. Jhapa and Sunsari were the most affected by the floods. 

Even though the challenges in disaster mitigation remain, the local and state government bodies have begun to emphasize the identification of risk areas, the strengthening of early warning systems and citizen awareness. Experts are of the opinion that long-term planning and preparedness is necessary to prevent loss of life due to disasters. "The more worrisome aspect is the Himtal blast, which affected 12,706 households in Sunsari, Udaipur and Okhaldhunga," Dahal adds, adding, "Disasters are both natural and man-made." The risk of both is high.' 

Before the start of this year's monsoon, the number of households at high risk of landslides in 14 districts of eastern Nepal has exceeded 25,000. According to the preliminary data of the local level and district administration offices, 2,708 of them need to be relocated immediately. The most vulnerable district is Panchthar, where 3,540 households are under the potential impact of landslides. However, the number of transfers required is limited to 86.

The second most affected district is Sankhuwasabha, where 2,650 households are affected. At most 708 households have to be moved to safer places. In Ilam, 1,243 households are at risk of landslides and 355 households are in high risk areas. Similarly, in Taplejung, 2,430 households are affected and 285 households need to be relocated.

Khotang, Dhankuta, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Bhojpur, Udaipur, Morang, Sunsari, Jhapa and other districts are also affected by landslides. Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari are also at high risk of flooding. Experts say that the problem is becoming serious due to structural risks, unorganized settlement development and environmental imbalance, especially in the hilly areas.