In the first week of October 2025, parts of Nepal experienced a sudden, extreme rainfall event that caused severe flooding across many districts. Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) reported that rainfall exceeded 330mm in a 24-hour period, whereas heavy rainfall is typically 150mm in 24 hours.
Image from Al Jazeera, 2025, ‘At least 47 killed in Nepal as heavy rains trigger landslides, flash floods’.Nepal’s monsoon season usually occurs from June to September, bringing with it this year highly concentrated monsoon rains and ‘moisture-laden monsoon winds’. This, combined with the ramifications of human-induced climate change – namely, rising global temperatures that increase the frequency and intensity of weather disasters – resulted in flash flooding and landslides across several districts in Nepal.
Districts situated on the flat Terai plains, including Rautahat, Bara, and Parsa, lack the necessary elevation and slope to direct floodwater, leaving them particularly vulnerable to flooding. While flat lands are susceptible to flooding, districts characterised by their steep and sloping topography, including Ilam, are at a heightened risk of landslides as the undulated landscape becomes unstable and detaches.
It has been reported that, as of the 7th of October, these flash floods and landslides have killed at least 47 people.
Image from The Kathmandu Post, 2025, ‘Floods, landslides block highways across Nepal’.Hundreds of youth volunteers, typically Gen Z, have initiated a partnership with Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) to directly address the escalating risks of floods and landslides while conducting relief operations.
At the forefront of this initiative is Sudan Gurung, a prominent leader in the recent Gen-Z protests. These volunteers are currently distributed across the impacted districts, providing support, aid, and evacuation assistance to residents. Gen Z’s use of social media to communicate is contributing to the rapid dissemination of accurate and vital information between residents and other aid efforts. This means youth volunteers are continuously reporting their findings to assist both reporting and preventing the escalation of the disaster.
These efforts, responses, and aid, directed by these young people, demonstrate the immense power that exists within young people. Establishing a partnership between young people and Nepal’s government body not only directly recognises this force of strength but also serves to empower it, providing young people with the resources needed to make positive and impactful change. This marks a pivotal moment in Nepal’s national response effort. It highlights the importance of involving youth in issues that directly affect them and of ‘officially integrating youth movements into core national disaster management structures’.
Image from Restless Development (Global), 2024, ‘Youth Power: Thank you’.Researchers from Natural Hazards Research Australia and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience (October 2024) report that young people are ‘capable, willing and impatient to be part of disaster risk, recovery and resilience’.
This desire, passion, and energy to be included and valued in both decision-making and on-the-ground action represent a shift in the narrative surrounding children and young people. Dominant narratives that frame young people as vulnerable, passive victims who require protection in the face of disasters are being directly challenged. Instead, young people are positioned as active, independent, energetic, and to be taken seriously. Young people are capable of being at the forefront of positive change, addressing issues that impact their future and the world around them.
Programs, policies, and initiatives that empower youth as agents of change, amplifying their voices and agency. By recognising the power of young people, this inclusive approach is essential for addressing future problems, building cohesive societies, and creating a more sustainable future for all.