Kathmandu, Nov. 2 -- At least 108,500 people in Nepal are exposed to flood risks as settlements in the country's high mountain regions expand into vulnerable areas, with the number of buildings in potential flood zones increasing by 78 percent between 2016 and 2023, a new study has found.

These findings are especially critical for Nepal following the devastating Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi flood, that reached settlements as high as 82 meters above river level, leaving 1,455 dead and 5,285 unaccounted for. With the rise in global temperatures, cascading and compounding hazards like Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi floods are likely to become increasingly frequent.

Given the steep mountain terrain, even small changes in temperature or rainfall can have disproport...