While Nepal is one of the least urbanized countries, it is ranked among the rapidly urbanizing countries in South Asia. It has witnessed a dramatic rise in urban population from 17.07 percent to 66.08 percent. Critical drivers of rural migration include unemployment, access to quality education for the children, access to health facilities, social discrimination, loss of livelihood triggered by low productivity in agriculture due to climatic factors, including erratic rainfall, lack of market for local agri-products, among others.

Further, Nepal ranks 4th and 30th in terms of climate change and flood risk respectively. People’s lives and livelihoods are at risk due to climate-induced multiple hazards, mainly floods, landslides, cold waves, heat stress, droughts, windstorms, lightning strikes, communicable diseases, and fires. The poor and marginalized, female-led households and those in low-income informal settlements are among the most affected by the impacts of climate change. Moreover, the exposure is further intensified by overcrowded living conditions, lack of basic facilities and infrastructures, unsafe housing, poor sanitation, etc. Also, with the increasing climate crisis, cities will have the added burden of addressing urban poverty and concerns of the urban poor, who are expected to adversely affect the sustainable development.