NEPAL FLOODS: Children at risk of disease as families struggle to access clean water

KATHMANDU (August 31, 2026) – Children in Nepal are facing an increased risk of illness as families crammed into public shelters struggle to get clean water for drinking and washing after devastating flash floods.

On the road from the capital Kathmandu to Trishuli Bazar, a once bustling market area and the commercial heart of Nuwakot district, body bags are piling up and starting to emit a strong smell of decomposition.

Decaying human and animal remains, unmanaged waste, and stagnant water are further heightening the risk of waterborne diseases including diarrhea and skin infections, said the aid agency.

Save the Children staff have seen children visibly unwell, with some being treated for respiratory tract infections and fevers.  

Yalmo*, 57, who came to a holding center in Nuwakot with his family, said some of his grandchildren were coughing while other children in the center had developed fevers.

“There was a lot of dirt, and we felt like we were going to be sick,” said Yalmo*, recounting how his family walked to safety.

His wife, Amita*, 56, said the family were left with nothing after the water tore through their community, and now some of her grandchildren, who she clutches close to her, are sick.

“We were out in the open too long, so we have scratchy throats and fever,” she said.

Many of the water sources in the affected areas are contaminated by debris from the flash floods, leaving communities without access to clean drinking and bathing water. Rain is continuing, washing torrents of mud into areas where people have fled from their ruined homes.

Some children now living in community buildings on higher ground spent days out in the open after the floods tore through their villages leaving more than 900 people dead in Nepal and over 4,000 still missing.

As rain and the threat of further flash floods continue to affect communities across Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, some of the areas worst-affected by the floods, children are also vulnerable to vector-borne diseases, such as dengue, as stagnant water creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children in Nepal, said:

"The immediate danger from the devastating flash floods may have passed in some areas, but we fear a second crisis is unfolding.

“Crowded spaces, contaminated water, poor sanitation, and limited access to healthcare create the ideal conditions for disease outbreaks that can severely harm children.

“Children are also showing up to holding centers and temporary shelters with coughs and other illnesses and sometimes there is no medicine. In rural or entirely cut off areas the situation will be even worse.”

With needs continuing to grow, Save the Children is calling on governments, donors, and humanitarian partners to increase flexible funding for the Nepal floods emergency response to ensure children and their families receive the help that they need.

Save the Children in Nepal’s emergency response team is working in the affected areas and delivering essential items, including drinking water, tarpaulins, blankets, cooking kits, mosquito nets, baby kits and personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes in the first phase of the response.

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The organization runs programs spanning child protection, child rights governance, education, gender equality, health, nutrition, and child poverty.

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*Denotes name changed to protect identity