Major disaster threats facing India...?
The growing shadow of extreme weather events: Climate change has changed the face of natural disasters in India. Cyclones, floods and heatwaves are now occurring more frequently and more powerfully than before. According to the latest report of the indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the warming of the indian Ocean has increased the intensity of cyclones. Along with this, the irregular pattern of monsoon has brought a double whammy of drought and flood. For example, Cyclone Michong in december 2023 caused destruction worth Rs 37,000 crore in tamil Nadu. At the same time, the 2023 floods in himachal pradesh caused a loss of Rs 10,000 crore. The IMD's 2024 report says that 2,227 people died due to extreme weather in 2022. These figures make it clear that India will have to take immediate steps to deal with the climate crisis.
Urban floods, the price of unplanned development: The growing concrete jungle in cities and the declining natural drainage system are turning rain into a disaster. Metropolises like delhi, chennai and Bengaluru are living examples of this. In July 2023, delhi recorded the highest single-day rainfall (153 mm) in 41 years, the result? yamuna flooded, waterlogged roads and traffic halted for hours. On the other hand, Bengaluru suffered a loss of Rs 2.25 billion from the 2022 floods. Experts say that the destruction of wetlands, blocked drains and poor water management are the major reasons behind this crisis.
Drought, crisis of food security: India's monsoon-based agriculture is facing the brunt of drought. Rising temperatures, groundwater exploitation and erratic monsoons are making it more severe. The IMD declared august 2023 as the driest month in the last 122 years, which had a bad effect on Kharif crops. A report by the World Wide Fund for Nature warns that by 2050, 30 cities in india will be in the grip of severe water crisis. Old irrigation methods and delay in climate-friendly farming are further increasing this danger.
Melting of Himalayan glaciers: Rapid melting of glaciers in the himalayas is becoming a new challenge for India. This has increased the risk of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) and landslides. The GLOF from South Lhonak Lake in sikkim in october 2023 caused massive devastation, killing many people and damaging infrastructure. Hydropower projects and road construction in the Himalayan regions are doubling this risk.
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