India face natural disasters almost everyday due to extreme weather events: Study

India has been experiencing a series of extreme weather events throughout 2023, with each season bringing its own set of challenges, according to a comprehensive report released today by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

India faced extreme weather events on a staggering 235 out of 273 days from January 1 to September 30, 2023, marking an 86% occurrence rate throughout the first nine months of the year. Record-breaking temperatures, widespread heavy rainfall, and subsequent floods resulted in a significant loss of life and livestock across various regions.

The alarming frequency and intensity of these events highlight the evolving abnormality in a world undergoing rapid warming. A 2020 report from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction underscores a global surge in disasters over the past two decades.

The report, titled "India 2023: An assessment of extreme weather events," unveils a grim reality marked by 2,923 human lives lost, affecting 1.84 million hectares of crop area, obliterating over 80,563 houses, and claiming the lives of approximately 92,519 livestock.

India faces daily weather extremes

The winter months of January and February were warmer than average, with temperatures reaching 1.86ºC and 1.36ºC above average respectively. These months also saw a significant rainfall deficit, with January and February recording 13% and 68% less rainfall than usual. Extreme weather events occurred on 28 of the 59 winter days, affecting 21 states and Union Territories (UTs).

The monsoon season (June-September) began late but covered the entire country by June 30, 15 days earlier than normal. Despite some heavy rainfall in August and September, the overall deficit was six per cent, making it a near-normal monsoon year for India. However, extreme weather events were reported on all 122 days during the season, claiming over 2,594 human lives and damaging 0.81 million hectares of crop area and 80,563 houses.

Traditionally, extreme weather events were considered one-in-a-lifetime events. However, the frequency of these events has increased significantly, with events that used to occur once every 100 years now happening every five years or less. This increase in frequency is severely impacting the poorest populations, who are losing their capacity to cope with these recurring and frequent events.

In the past nine months, all types of extreme weather have been reported across all 36 states and UTs, claiming 711 lives. Every day of the three months of monsoon showed heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in some parts of the country, leading to widespread flood devastation. For instance, vast parts of Himachal Pradesh were submerged, resulting in loss of lives, homes, and sources of livelihood.

India’s extreme weather events: A regional breakdown

Madhya Pradesh topped the list with the highest number of extreme weather events, reporting a staggering 138 incidents. However, the highest death toll was in Bihar, with 642 fatalities, followed by Himachal Pradesh (365 deaths) and Uttar Pradesh (341 deaths). Punjab recorded the highest number of animal deaths, while Himachal Pradesh reported the most housing damage due to extreme weather events.

In the southern region, Kerala experienced the highest number of extreme weather days (67) and deaths (60). Telangana was hit hard with over 62,000 hectares of crops affected and high animal casualties (645). Karnataka faced severe destruction, with over 11,000 houses demolished.

In northwest India, Uttar Pradesh experienced the most extreme weather days at 113. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan were also significantly affected.

In the eastern and northeastern regions, Assam registered the maximum extreme weather events (102), with the state losing 159 livestock and over 48,000 hectares of crops devastated. Nagaland saw over 1,900 houses destroyed.

Lightning and storms were the most common disasters, occurring on 176 out of 273 days and claiming 711 lives, with most of these deaths occurring in Bihar. However, the most significant devastation came from heavy rains, floods, and landslides, causing over 1,900 casualties.

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