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Extreme weather deaths increased by 18% in 3 years: Govt in Lok Sabha

Extreme weather deaths in India increased by 18% in three years, according to MoES data. The government is addressing this with better early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure, and preparedness measures to tackle growing climate impacts

By Ground Report Desk
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Deaths from extreme weather events in India have increased by 18% over the past three years, according to Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) data in the Lok Sabha. The information underscores the growing impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of extreme weather in the country.

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Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences, addressed the issue, highlighting the government's mitigation and adaptation strategies and the role of enhanced early warning systems. Here are the year-wise and state-wise statistics for the last five years:

 State-wise deaths due to disastrous weather events in 2023

State/UT Snowfall Cold Wave Heat Wave Gale Lightning Thunderstorm Hailstorm Floods and Heavy Rains Cyclonic Storm/ Cyclone Related Events Grand Total
Andhra Pradesh * * 3 * 55 * * * 9 67
Arunachal Pradesh * * * * * * * 17 * 17
Assam * * * * 20 8 1 20 * 49
Bihar * * 12 * 250 * * 1 * 263
Chandigarh * * * * * * * 1 * 1
Chhattisgarh * 1 2 * 67 8 2 1 * 81
Dadar and Nagar Haveli * * * * * * * 2 * 2
Delhi * * * * * * * 2 * 2
Goa * * * * * * * 1 * 1
Gujarat * * * * 30 * * 5 * 35
Haryana * * * * 1 * * 7 * 8
Himachal Pradesh 2 * * * 2 * * 123 * 127
Jammu and Kashmir 9 * * * 5 * * 40 * 54
Jharkhand * * 25 4 120 * * 11 * 160
Karnataka * * * * 8 4 * 10 * 22
Kerala * * * * 5 * * 25 * 30
Ladakh 2 * * * * * 5 * * 7
Madhya Pradesh * * * * 167 5 * 136 * 308
Maharashtra * * 8 7 108 14 * 71 * 208
Meghalaya * * * * * 5 * 13 * 18
Mizoram * * * * * * * 9 * 9
Odisha * * 45 3 205 * * 10 * 263
Punjab * * * * * * * 8 * 8
Rajasthan * * * * 39 15 * 56 7 117
Sikkim 7 * * * * * * 106 * 113
Tamil Nadu * * * * 6 * * 10 17 33
Telangana * * * * 36 1 * 41 3 81
Tripura * * * * 5 2 * * * 7
Uttar Pradesh * 4 86 * 94 8 * 81 * 273
Uttarakhand 1 * * * 3 4 * 75 * 83
West Bengal * * * * 33 * * 3 * 36
Grand Total 21 5 181 14 1259 74 3 890 36 2483

State-wise deaths due to disastrous weather events during 2022

State/UT Snowfall Cold Wave Heat Wave Squall Gale Dust Storm Lightning Thunderstorm Hailstorm Floods and Heavy Rains Cyclonic Storm/ Cyclone Related Events Grand Total
Andhra Pradesh * * * * * * 51 * * 7 1 59
Arunachal Pradesh 7 * * * * * * * * 32 * 39
Assam * * * * 1 * 25 33 * 199 * 258
Bihar * * * * * * 118 297 * 3 * 418
Chhattisgarh * * 1 * * * 46 25 * 7 * 79
Delhi * * * * * * * 2 * 3 * 5
Goa * * * * * * * * * 2 * 2
Gujarat * * * * * * 7 * * 24 * 31
Himachal Pradesh 10 * * * * * 1 2 * 75 * 88
Jammu and Kashmir 3 * * * 4 * 7 * * 43 * 57
Jharkhand * * 1 * 2 * 118 4 * 5 * 130
Karnataka * * * * * * 33 * * 34 * 67
Kerala * * * * 2 * 9 1 * 43 * 55
Ladakh 1 * * * * * * * * * * 1
Madhya Pradesh * * * * * * 115 1 * 1 * 117
Maharashtra * 1 13 * * * 81 2 * 143 * 240
Manipur * * * * * * * * * 56 * 56
Meghalaya * * * * * * 1 * * 15 * 16
Nagaland * * * * * * * * * 3 * 3
Odisha * * 12 * 2 * 168 * * 12 * 194
Puducherry * * * * * * * * * * 1 1
Punjab * * * * * * * * * 3 * 3
Rajasthan * * * * * * 78 * * 48 * 126
Sikkim * * * * * * 1 * * 7 * 8
Tamil Nadu * * * * * * 21 * * 3 4 28
Telangana * * * * 1 * 6 12 * 26 * 45
Tripura * * * * * * 1 * * * * 1
Uttar Pradesh * * * * * 22 302 2 32 231 * 589
Uttarakhand 16 * * * * * 1 * * 13 * 30
West Bengal * * 3 1 * * 4 5 * 8 * 21
Grand Total 37 1 30 1 12 22 1194 386 32 1046 6 2767

State-wise deaths due to extreme weather events in 2021

State/UT Snowfall Cold Wave Gale Dust Storm Lightning (with Thunderstorm) Thunderstorm Hailstorm Floods and Heavy Rains Cyclonic Storm/Cyclone Related Events Grand Total
Andaman and Nicobar * * 1 * * * * * * 1
Andhra Pradesh * * * * * * * 46 6 52
Assam * * * * * * * 14 * 14
Bihar * * * * 73 99 * 12 1 185
Chhattisgarh * * * * 10 32 3 * * 45
Delhi * 3 * * * * * 4 * 7
Goa * * * * 1 * * 1 3 5
Gujarat * * * * 6 * * 7 79 92
Haryana * * * * 1 * * * * 1
Himachal Pradesh 12 * * * * * * 61 * 73
Jammu and Kashmir 4 2 * * 4 * 1 21 * 32
Jharkhand * * * * 22 35 * * 3 60
Karnataka * * * * 3 1 * 33 8 45
Kerala * * * * 5 * * 53 9 67
Madhya Pradesh * 1 1 * 158 2 * 34 * 196
Maharashtra * 3 * * 84 2 * 217 56 362
Odisha * * 3 * 213 * * 3 4 223
Puducherry * * * * * * * 1 * 1
Rajasthan * * * * 49 * * 14 * 63
Sikkim * * * * * * * 2 * 2
Tamil Nadu * * * * 15 * * 28 * 43
Telangana * * * * 7 * * 15 3 25
Uttar Pradesh * 2 * 5 43 6 * 42 * 98
Uttarakhand 15 * * * * * * 138 * 153
West Bengal * * * * 61 3 * 33 2 99
Grand Total 31 11 5 5 755 180 4 779 174 1944

State-wise deaths due to extreme weather events during 2020

State/UT Cold Wave Cyclonic Storm / Cyclone Related Events Dust Storm Floods and Heavy Rains Gale Heat Wave Lightning Squall Snowfall Thunderstorm Grand Total
Andhra Pradesh * 9 * 20 * * 20 * * * 49
Arunachal Pradesh * * * 12 * * * * * * 12
Assam * * * 129 * * * * * * 129
Bihar 54 * * 54 * 2 98 * * 186 394
Chhattisgarh * * * * * * 12 * * 17 29
Gujarat * * * 106 * * 9 * * * 115
Haryana * * * 1 * * * * * * 1
Himachal Pradesh * * * 38 * * * * 4 * 42
Jammu and Kashmir * * * 13 3 * 5 * 17 * 38
Jharkhand 16 * * 4 * * * 6 * 126 152
Karnataka * * * 148 1 * 15 * * * 164
Kerala * * * 78 6 1 2 * * 1 88
Madhya Pradesh * * * 10 * * 72 * * 7 89
Maharashtra * 6 * 59 * 6 42 * * 1 114
Meghalaya * * * 12 * * * * * * 12
Nagaland * * * 7 * * * * * * 7
New Delhi * * * 1 * * * * * * 1
Odisha * 4 * 38 3 16 278 * * * 339
Punjab * * * 2 * * * * * * 2
Rajasthan 3 * 14 18 * * 4 * * * 39
Sikkim * * * 5 * * * * 1 1 7
Tamil Nadu * 14 * * * * 9 * * * 23
Telangana * * * 63 * * 6 * * * 69
Uttar Pradesh 88 * * 24 * * 77 * * 167 356
Uttarakhand 1 * * 8 * * * * * * 9
West Bengal * 86 * 145 * * 3 * * * 234
Grand Total 162 119 14 995 13 25 652 6 22 506 2514

State-wise deaths due to extreme weather events during 2019

State/UT Cold Wave Cyclonic Storm / Cyclone Related Events Dust Storm Floods and Heavy Rains Gale Hailstorm Heat Wave Lightning Snowfall Squall Thunderstorm Grand Total
Andhra Pradesh * * * * * * 45 * * * * 45
Assam * * * 94 * * * 15 * * 11 120
Bihar 19 * * 306 * * 293 * * * 72 690
Chhattisgarh * * * 4 * * * 2 * * 16 22
Goa * * * 1 * * * * * * * 1
Gujarat * * * 150 * * * * * * 10 160
Himachal Pradesh * * * 26 * * * * 8 * * 34
Jammu and Kashmir * * * * * * * * 7 * 3 10
Jharkhand 13 * * 5 * * 13 * 2 * 126 159
Karnataka * * * 30 * * * 21 * * 8 59
Kerala * * * 75 2 * 14 4 * * * 95
Madhya Pradesh 12 * * 21 * 2 * 26 * * * 61
Maharashtra 7 * * 145 * * 53 65 * * 2 272
Manipur * * * * * * * * * * 3 3
Mizoram * * * 5 * * * * * * * 5
Odisha * 53 * 10 1 * 9 239 * 1 * 313
Punjab * * * 14 * * * * * * * 14
Rajasthan * * 25 82 * * 3 5 * * 15 130
Sikkim * * * 1 * * * * * * * 1
Tamil Nadu * * * 20 1 * * * * * * 21
Telangana * * * 10 2 * 66 7 * * * 85
Tripura * * * 2 * * * * * * 1 3
Jammu and Kashmir * * * 21 * * * * 32 * * 53
Ladakh * * * 1 * * * * 18 * * 19
Uttar Pradesh 240 * * 18 * * 9 26 * * 64 357
Uttarakhand * * * 33 * * * * * * * 33
West Bengal * 7 * 223 * * * 5 * * 17 252
Grand Total 291 60 25 1297 6 2 505 415 65 3 348 3017

Govt response and actions

To mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has implemented advanced early warning systems and preparedness strategies, such as:

  • Issuing colour-coded alerts forecasts.

  • Publishing the Climate Hazard & Vulnerability Atlas of India.

  • Launching mobile apps like Mausam, Damini (lightning alerts), and Meghdoot (agricultural advisories).

  • Conducting preparedness meetings with stakeholders.

The government has emphasized building climate-resilient infrastructure and assessing the long-term effects of climate change on extreme weather through research and reports.

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