According to a new report, India recorded extreme weather events due to climate change on 242 of the 273 days from January 1 to September 30, 2022. Heatwaves, cold waves, cyclones, lightning, heavy rainfall, floods, and landslides are examples.
According to a report released by the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth (DTE) magazine, Madhya Pradesh was the worst-affected, with one event every other day.
The highest number of deaths occurred in Himachal Pradesh (359), with Madhya Pradesh and Assam each witnessing 301 human deaths, according to India 2022: The Assessment of Extreme Weather Events, which was launched on November 1, 2022, revealed.
According to the analysis, Assam had the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. Karnataka, which was hit by extreme weather for 82 days, accounted for more than half of the crop area affected in the country.
According to the report, the estimate is most likely an underestimate because data for each event, including losses of public property or crop loss, has not been compiled or estimated.
Madhya Pradesh did not report any crop area damage, which could be due to gaps in loss and damage reporting, according to the report.
Every day of the three monsoon months (June to August) saw heavy to very heavy rainfall in some parts of the country, according to analysts. Kiran Pandey is the programme director of CSE’s Environmental Resources unit, and Rajit Sengupta, associate editor of DTE, wrote in the report.
“This is why the flood devastation has not spared any region,” the authors wrote. According to the report, vast areas of Assam were submerged, resulting in the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods.
Lightning and storms struck 30 states, killing 773 people. 45 people died as a result of heat waves.
“This is the watermark of climate change. It is not about a single event but about the increased frequency of the events — that what we saw as the one in 100 years extreme event has now been compressed to become one in five years or even less.” said Sunita Narain, director-general of CSE.
To fill the gaps in official data, the researchers compiled data from two key Indian government sources: the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Disaster Management Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as media reports.
Central and north-western India had the highest number of days with extreme weather events (198 and 195, respectively). Central India topped the list in terms of human lives lost, with 887 deaths, followed by East and North East India (783 deaths).
Several days of extreme weather were also recorded during the nine months studied:
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Seventh wettest January since 1901
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Warmest and third-driest March in 121 year
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Third-warmest April
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11th-warmest August
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8th-warmest September since 1901
According to the report, eastern and northeastern India had the warmest and driest July in 121 years. “The region also recorded its second warmest August and fourth warmest September in 2022.”
The report’s authors emphasised the shortcomings of departmental loss and damage data. The impact of prolonged high temperatures on people’s well-being, for example, is not accounted for in official heat wave data.
Cyclone deaths were uncommon. Narain praised IMD for issuing timely warnings to assist governments in preparing for disasters.
