India recorded an extreme weather event on almost 90 per cent of the days in the first nine months this year, according to a report of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). This means that “India has seen close to a disaster every day in the nine months of this year – from heat and cold waves, cyclones and lightning to heavy rains, floods and landslides,” the report, `Extreme Weather Report 2022`, stated. These disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectare of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock.
With an event every second day, Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of days with extreme weather events, but Himachal Pradesh saw the highest number of human fatalities — 359 deaths. Madhya Pradesh and Assam witnessed 301 human deaths each. Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths.
Here`s a look at the natural disasters that took place this year in India.
Amarnath floods
In one of the deadliest monsoon-related incidents this year, at least 16 people lost their lives and several were injured in a cloudburst near the Amarnath cave in Jammu and Kashmir on July 8, 2022.
Uttar Pradesh floods
Six people died in rain-related incidents in Uttar Pradesh where over 1,300 villages in 18 districts were affected by floods. A total of 287 villages were affected by floods in Balrampur district, 129 villages in Siddharthnagar, 120 in Gorakhpur, 114 in Shravasti, 110 in Gonda, 102 in Bahraich, 86 in Lakhimpur Kheri and 82 in Barabanki district.
Manipur landslide
A landslide occurred in the Noney district of Manipur near the Tupul railway construction site on the night of June 30, 2022. At least 58 people were killed in the incident. Twenty-nine Indian Army personnel and 29 civilians were among the deceased.
Cyclone Asani
Severe Cyclonic Storm Asani was a strong tropical cyclone that made landfall in India in May 2022. Cyclone Asani originated from a depression that the Indian Meteorological Department first monitored on May 7. Conditions rapidly favored development as the system became a deep depression by that day before intensifying into a Cyclonic Storm. On the next day, it peaked and turned into a severe cyclonic storm, before making landfall as a deep depression system over Andhra Pradesh. It weakened into a well-marked low-pressure on May 12.
Uttarakhand avalanche
An avalanche hit the Draupadi Ka Danda peak in Uttarakhand on October 4.
Twenty-seven mountaineers in the Advanced Mountaineering Course of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering were killed due to the avalanche. The avalanche occurred at a height of 17,000 feet when a team of the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) was returning after summiting Draupadi Ka Danda II peak in Uttarakhand.