Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Extreme weather, climate and water-related events caused 573 disasters in India between 1970 and 2021 that claimed 1,38,377 lives, according to data from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), a specialised agency of the United Nations.
Globally, 11,778 reported disasters led to more than two million deaths and USD 4.3 trillion in economic losses during this period. Over 90 per cent of the reported deaths worldwide occurred in developing countries.
The WMO issued the new findings for the quadrennial World Meteorological Congress which opened in Geneva in Switzerland on May 22 with a high-level dialogue on accelerating and scaling up action to ensure that early warning services reach everyone on earth by the end of 2027.
Asia reported 3,612 disasters attributable to weather, climate and water extremes, with 9,84,263 deaths and USD 1.4 trillion in economic losses. Bangladesh reported the highest number of human deaths (5,20,758) in Asia due to 281 events, the data showed.
In India, 573 disasters reportedly killed 1,38,377 people between 1970 and 2021. India recorded 2,227 human casualties due to extreme weather events in 2022, according to the Annual Statement on Climate of India, issued by the India Meteorological Department.
The report says that global temperatures are likely to surge to record levels in the next five years, fueled by heat-trapping greenhouse gases and a naturally occurring El Nino.
