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Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Silent killer: Air pollution and how it can end lives

Air pollution causes not just short-term troubles for us, but also possesses the potential to silently kill us. It is high time that policymakers and the public wake up to the threat and take action to bring the AQI below 100. A temporary burning sensation in your eyes, the acrid smoke that you breathe for a few seconds or minutes in a day, breathing troubles you haveâ€¦ These ‘temporary’ problems due to prolonged exposure to air pollution could actually kill you silently. It is high time that we take steps to bring down the Air Quality Index well below 100. Here is why an Air Quality Index of over 100 should alarm not just you but also awaken the decision-makers in the political arena from their slumber. A host of health issues and diseases are associated with air pollution. Dementia, heart diseases, impact on the foetal health of a pregnant woman, lung diseasesâ€¦ these are just some of the common problems; and the causes go way beyond firecrackers and vehicular pollution. LOOKING BEYOND VEHICULAR AND CRACKER POLLUTION Stubble burning has been cited to be one of the main causes of prolonged deterioration of the air quality. Stubble burning is common in India in winter, especially in the rice fields near Delhi. During this season, the smoke from burning stubble makes up for up to 45% of Delhi’s pollution, says IQAir’s World Air Quality Report. The same report says that 97% of global cities do not meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest air quality guidelines. Industrial sector measures include stringent emission standards for industries and the implementation of policies that mandate the use of clean fuels. The implementation of these policies needs to be strictly enforced and monitored 24Ã—7 throughout the year. All these measures need enhanced LPG penetration and control of agricultural burning, and regional level inter-state coordination, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plains, says the Centre for Science and Environment, an environmental watchdog.

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CSE Report: 100 साल में इस बार बदला है मौसम का मिजाज, हर रोज आ रही प्राकृतिक आपदाएं

भीषण गर्मी, मूसलाधार बारिश, चक्रवात और पहाड़ों पर लैंड स्लाइड... 2022 भारत के लिए लगातार कहर बनकर टूट रहा है. पिछले 9 महीने में शायद ऐसा कोई दिन हो जब देश के किसी हिस्से में कोई प्राकृतिक आपदा ना आई हो. यह जानकारी Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) की नई रिपोर्ट में सामने आई है. सीएसई की ताजा रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक देश में इस साल 1 जनवरी से 30 सितंबर तक 273 दिनों में से 242 दिनों में किसी न किसी तरह की प्राकृतिक घटनाएं दर्ज की गईं है. इनमें हीटवेव, शीत लहर, चक्रवात, बिजली, भारी वर्षा, बाढ़ और लैंड स्लाइड शामिल है. मध्य प्रदेश और हिमाचल सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक देश में साल के शुरू होने से सितंबर तक हर दूसरे दिन किसी न किसी प्राकृतिक आपदा से जुड़ी घटना की वजह से मध्य प्रदेश सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित हुआ है. इन घटनाओं के कारण होने वाली मौतों की संख्या हिमाचल प्रदेश (359) में सबसे अधिक है. जबकि मध्य प्रदेश और असम में 301 मानव मृत्यु दर्ज़ हुई हैं. रिपोर्ट के अनुसार मध्य और उत्तर-पश्चिमी भारत में मौसम की घटनाओं के साथ सबसे अधिक ( 198 और 195 दिन) दर्ज किए गए है. अगर जानमाल के नुकसान की बात करें तो मध्य भारत 887 मौतों के साथ सूची में सबसे ऊपर है. इसके बाद पूर्व और उत्तर पूर्व भारत हैं जहां प्राकृतिक आपदाओं के कारण अबतक 783 मौतें हुई हैं. ये भी पढ़ेंः Twitter पर ब्लू टिक के लिए हर महीने देने होंगे 8 डॉलर, Elon Musk ने किया ऐलान पशु और फसलों का भी नुकसान देश में असम एक ऐसा राज्य है जहा सबसे अधिक घर टूटने और जानवरों की मौत के मामले दर्ज हुए हैं. इसके बाद दक्षिण भारत में कर्नाटक एक ऐसा राज्य है जिसे 82 दिनों तक मूसलाधार बारिश और बाढ़ के कारण भारी दिक्कतों का सामना करना पड़ा है. वहीं बात खेती की करें तो कही देर से तो कही ज़रुरत से ज़्यादा बारिश और सूखे जैसे हालातों के चलते फैसले बुरी तरह से प्रभावित हुई है. आकड़ों के मुताबिक देश में ज्यादातर हिस्सों में फसलें 50 फीसदी तक अपनी गुणवत्ता खो चुकी हैं. हालांकि प्राकृतिक हादसों में पहले स्थान पर रहने के बावजूद मध्य प्रदेश ने किसी भी फसल क्षेत्र के नुकसान आधिकारिक आकड़े दर्ज़ नहीं हुए है . CSE की पर्यावरण संसाधन इकाई के कार्यक्रम निदेशक किरण पांडे के अनुसार मध्य प्रदेश में किसी भी तरह के नुकसान के आकड़े न होने का मुख्य कारण "नुकसान और क्षति की रिपोर्टिंग में गैप के कारण हो सकता है". बारिश में मचाई तबाही बारिश ने भी इस साल जमकर कहर बरपाया है. मानसून के मौसम में जून से अगस्त तक हर दिन देश के कुछ हिस्सों में भारी से बहुत भारी बारिश हुई है . "यही कारण है कि बाढ़ की तबाही ने किसी भी क्षेत्र को नहीं बख्शा है. एक्सपर्ट्स की मानें तो भारी बरसात के चलते असम में कई हिस्से जलमग्न हो गए. जिससे लोगों की जान, संपत्ति और आजीविका का भारी नुकसान हुआ. वहीं बारिश के बाद साल की दूसरी बड़ी आपदा के तौर पर बिजली और तूफान उभर कर आए है. देश के 30 राज्य और केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों में बिजली और तूफ़ान के चलते अब तक 773 लोगों की जान चली गई है . वही उत्तरी भारत में इस साल भीषण गर्मी की लहरों ने अलग-अलग राज्यों में 45 लोगों की जान लील ली है. ये भी पढ़ेंः तिरुवनंतपुरम एयरपोर्ट से गुजरी मंदिर की यात्रा, पांच घंटे बंद रहा रनवे, जानिए क्यों मिल जाती है अनुमति प्राकृतिक आपदाओं का बढ़ना अच्छा संकेत नहीं- सीएसई CSE की महानिदेशक सुनीता नारायण के मुताबिक "देश में इतने कम समय में बार बार प्राकृतिक आपदाओं का आना, जलवायु परिवर्तन का वॉटरमार्क है ". उनके मुताबिक यह किसी एक घटना के बारे में नहीं है . बल्कि घटनाओं की बढ़ते हुए नंबर्स के बारे में है. CSE की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक इस तरह की घटनाएं पिछले 100 सालों में सबसे ज़्यादा तबाही भरी घटना के रूप में देखी जा रही हैं. इसके साथ ही आंकड़े ये भी बताते हैं कि बड़ी घटनाओं की तीव्रता तो बढ़ी ही है. इनके बीच में जो गैप पहले लगभग पांच साल या उससे अधिक था वो अब एक साल से भी कम हो गया है. ये चिंता का विषय है. एक्सपर्ट्स की मानें तो इस तरह का मौसमी बदलाव अच्छे संकेत नहीं ले कर आ रहा है. ये आने वाले समय के लिए एक चेतावनी जैसा है. मौसम में भारी बदलाव और लगातार आ रही प्राकृतिक आपदा देश में आने वाले सालो में भारी जलवायु परिवर्तन की और इशारा कर रही है.

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India witnessed extreme weather in 88% of days in the last 9 months, says CSE report

India has recorded extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, this year - more than 88 per cent of the days in nine months – the Centre for Science and Environment on Tuesday said in a new report that turns the ... Compiling publicly available information, the CSE report said that these disasters claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. “What the country has witnessed so... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/india-witnessed-extreme-weather-in-88-of-days-in-the-last-9-months-says-cse-report-1158615.html

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In 9 months, 242 of 273 days saw extreme weather events: CSE

NEW DELHI: One or the other regions of India recorded extreme weather events of different types on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30 — that is more than 88% of the days over these nine months, said the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in an assessment which also showed how these disasters linked to such events have claimed 2,755 lives during this period. The assessment, released on Tuesday, noted that besides claiming human lives, the disasters due to lightning and storms, floods, heat wave, cloudbursts and cyclones among others also affected 1. 8 million hectare of crop area, destroyed over 4. 1lakh houses, and killed close to 70,000 livestock across the country in thefirst nine months of 2022. MP, reporting an event every second day, saw the highest number of days with extreme weather events among all states, while Himachal Pradesh witnessed the highest number of human fatalities — 359 deaths. MP and Assam saw 301 human deaths each. Karnataka which experienced an extreme weather event on 82 days accounted for over 50% of the crop area affected in the country. MP, as per official records, didn’t report any crop area damage whereas Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. “What India has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world,” said Sunita Narain, director general, CSE. Region-wise, central and north-western India reported the highest number of days with extreme weather events at 198 and 195, respectively.

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In 9 months, 242 of 273 days saw extreme weather events: CSE

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In nine months of 2022, India witnessed some natural disaster almost every day: CSE

In just nine months in 2022, India witnessed some form of natural disaster almost every day, according to CSE’s new report on extreme weather—India 2022: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, India recorded extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, 2022. This means that more than 88 per cent of the time over these nine months, the country was witnessing an extreme weather event of some sort happening in one or more of its regions, stated the new assessment. “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing,” CSE director general Sunita Narain said. The report provides season-wise, month-wise and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. “India witnessed a disaster almost every day for nine months of this year from heat and cold waves, cyclones and lightning to heavy rains, floods and landslides. Loss and damage was under-estimated,” it said.

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Climate Change: भारत में पिछले 9 महीने में 90 फीसदी दिन बिगड़ा रहा 'सामान्य मौसम', हिमाचल सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावि

वर्तमान में तेजी से हो रहे जलवायु परिवर्तन के कारण ही लू, बढ़ता पारा, पिघलते ग्लेशियर, बाढ़, तूफान जैसी कठोर मौसमी घटनाएं बढ़ रही हैं। इस बीच, सीएसई की हालिया रिपोर्ट में चौंकाने वाले खुलासे किए गए हैं। इस रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि भारत में इस साल के पहले नौ महीनों में लगभग 90 प्रतिशत दिनों में सामान्य मौसम में गिरावट दर्ज की गईं है। साथ ही रिपोर्ट में यह भी बताया गया है कि ऐसी घटनाओं से हिमाचल प्रदेश सबसे ज्यादा प्रभावित रहा। यहां सबसे अधिक मनुष्यों मौत की रिपोर्ट दर्ज की गई है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा जारी 'एक्सट्रीम वेदर रिपोर्ट 2022' में कहा गया है कि भारत ने इस साल 1 जनवरी से 30 सितंबर तक 273 दिनों में से 241 दिनों में कठोर मौसम की घटनाएं दर्ज कीं। इन आपदाओं के कारण साल के पहले नौ महीनों में 2,775 लोगों की मौत हो गई। साथ ही 1.8 मिलियन हेक्टेयर फसल बर्बाद हो गई। वहीं, इसमें यह भी बताया गया है कि आपदाओं के कारण 4,16,667 से अधिक घर नष्ट हो गए और करीब 70,000 पशुओं की भी जान चली गई। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने यह भी कहा है कि कठोर मौसमी दशाओं के कारण होने वाले नुकसान का यह अनुमान वास्तविकता से कम होगा। क्योंकि क्योंकि प्रत्येक घटना के लिए डेटा एकत्र नहीं किया जाता है, न ही सार्वजनिक संपत्ति के नुकसान या फसल के नुकसान की गणना की जाती है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, मौतों के नुकसान के मामले में कठोर मौसमी घटनाओं के कारण मध्य भारत में सबसे अधिक 887 मौतें हुईं, इसके बाद पूर्व और पूर्वोत्तर क्षेत्र में 783 मौतें दर्ज की गईं। रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, कठोर मौसमी घटनाओं के कारण हिमाचल प्रदेश में सबसे अधिक 359 लोगों की मृत्यु दर्ज की गई। इसके बाद मध्य प्रदेश और असम में 301 लोगों की मौत दर्ज की गई। इसके अलावा असम में बाढ़ जैसी कठोर मौसमी घटनाओं के कारण सबसे ज्यादा लोगों के घर नष्ट हो गए और यहां सबसे ज्यादा पशुओं की मौत दर्ज की गई है। वहीं, राजधानी दिल्ली में बिजली गिरने और तूफान के साथ चार दिनों तक कटोर मौसमी घटनाएं सामने आईं। इन घटनाओं के कारण तीन लोगों की मौत हुई। राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में भी दो दिन भारी बारिश, 28 हीटवेव दिन और सात शीत लहर दिन दर्ज किए गए। 2022 में, भारत ने 1901 के बाद से अपना सातवां सबसे गर्म जनवरी दर्ज किया। यह मार्च अब तक का सबसे गर्म और 121 वर्षों में तीसरा सबसे सूखा महीना था। पूर्वी और पूर्वोत्तर भारत में पिछले 121 वर्षों में सबसे गर्म और सबसे शुष्क जुलाई रहा। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) ने भारतीय मौसम विभाग से जुटाए आंकड़ों के आधार पर रिपोर्ट जारी की है। इसके अनुसार देश के उत्तर-पश्चिमी हिस्से में अत्याधिक गर्मी पर सभी का ध्यान गया, पर पूरे देश में लगभग यही चलन नजर आ रहा है। शहरों में खत्म होते तालाब, घटती हरियाली गर्मी और बढ़ा रहे हैं। प्री-मानसून समय में गर्मियों के महीनों मार्च से मई तक को शामिल किया गया है। रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया कि लू से 2000 से 2020 के दौरान 20,615 लोगों की मौत हुई। मानसून में औसत से ज्यादा गर्मी देशव्यापी औसत के अनुसार जून से सितंबर का तापमान प्री-मानसून महीनों से 0.3 से 0.4 डिग्री अधिक मिला। 1951 से 1980 के तापमान से बनी बेसलाइन से इस दशक में औसत तापमान 0.49 डिग्री अधिक रहा। पोस्ट-मानसूनी महीनों यानी अक्तूबर से दिसंबर में यह वृद्धि 0.73 और सर्दियों के महीनों जनवरी व फरवरी में 0.68 डिग्री अधिक रही।

Down To Earth

India saw extreme weather disasters on 241 of 273 days of 2022, claiming 2577 lives

India experienced extreme weather events between January and September this year which claimed 2,755 human lives and 69,000 animals across the country. A latest report by India's environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment said that the "worse is happening now" with each month experiencing extreme weather days be it heatwaves, coldwaves, heavy rainfall, flooding, lightning, storms, cyclones, cloudburst and snowfall in different regions in the country through various seasons. According to the report titled ' The State of Extreme Weather 2022', which analyzed extreme weather events in India in its first 273 days this year, more than 400,000 houses and 1.8 million hectares of cropland was damaged by weather disasters. During a webinar ahead of the international climate conference COP 27 scheduled to begin on November 7 in Egypt, CSE Director General Sunita Narain said the extreme weather disasters were the "revenge of nature" and an impact of climate change. Presenting the report, its authors Rajit Sengupta and Kiran Pandey said that on 241 out of the 273 days in 2022, India experienced extreme weather events. While on 159 days the country saw lightning and storms, there was heavy rainfall, floods and landslides on 157 days, heatwaves on 66 days, coldwaves on 30 days, cloudburst on 11 days and snowfall on two days. These events also claimed several lives. ALSO READ | Northeast monsoon rains in southern India: 15 NDRF teams on standby in Tamil Nadu Around 1214 human lives were claimed by heavy rain, floods and landslides between June and September with north-eastern state of Assam being hit the worst with 221 deaths followed by central India's Madhya Pradesh with 112 deaths. Nearly 954 people were killed due to lightning and storm between July and September with Madhya Pradesh recording maximum deaths at 164 followed by Maharashtra at 94. The report said that India recorded 66 days of heatwaves which claimed 45 lives with the early onset in March until July. The western state of Rajasthan was worst hit by heatwaves which lasted 42 days followed by Maharashtra with 24 days of heatwaves and 34 deaths. Rajasthan did not record any death due to heatwave, the report said. The country also experienced cold waves or cold days for 30 days with 22 days in January and eight days in February in two states and Union Territories. While Madhya Pradesh had 21 days of cold waves, it lasted for 20 days in Uttar Pradesh. No lives were claimed. The 11 days of cloudburst killed 33 people in four states with maximum deaths in Himachal Pradesh at 12. Two places - Jammu and Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh experienced snowfall which lasted two days in the entire 273 days and claimed a total of eight lives. While one person died in Jammu and Kashmir, seven deaths were recorded in Arunachal Pradesh. "While January saw cooler daytime temperatures, February remained almost half a degree colder than normal, resulting in 30 cold wave days and 12 hailstorm days. January was also abnormally wet. It was the seventh wettest since 1901 while February was drier than normal," said Kiran Pandey, Programme Director, Environment Resource Unit, CSE.

Down To Earth

In 9 Months India witnessed some form of natural disaster almost every day: report

CSE in its new report on extreme weather revealed that India recorded extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, 2022. This means that more than 88 per cent of the time over these nine months, the country was witnessing an extreme weather event of some sort happening in one or more of its regions. The assessment provides a comprehensive overview of the state of extreme weather in India across a major part of the year. Along with this report, Down To Earth has also launched India’s Atlas on Weather Disasters, an online public interactive database on extreme weather events that would be updated every month. “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain while releasing the report. “Our report provides season-wise, month-wise and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. It is an attempt to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in India. This is extremely important as the data that is publicly available on this subject is fragmented and fails to provide the overall picture,” added Narain. What the report says A disaster almost every day: 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. Loss and damage under-estimated: These disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. Says Rajit Sengupta, associate editor of Down To Earth and one of the writers of the report: “This estimation of loss and damage is probably an underestimate as data for each event – including losses of public property or crop loss — has not been collated or estimated.” 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. Karnataka, which experienced an extreme weather event on 82 days, accounted for more than 50 per cent of the crop area affected in the country. Madhya Pradesh, as per official records, did not report any crop area damage. Sengupta says this could be due to “gaps in loss and damage reporting”. The central and north-western regions reported the highest number of days with extreme weather events at 198 and 195, respectively. In terms of human lives lost, central India topped the list with 887 deaths, followed by the east and northeast (783 deaths). Warmest, wettest, driest: In 2022, India recorded its seventh wettest January since 1901. This March was also the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years. It was also the country’s third warmest April, 11th warmest August and 8th warmest September since 1901. Eastern and northeastern India saw its warmest and driest July in 121 years. The region also recorded its second-warmest August and fourth-warmest September in 2022. In terms of the ‘nature’ of the event, all types of extreme weather have been seen in the past nine months – lightning and storms were spread over 30 states and claimed 773 lives. Every day of the three months of the monsoon – from June to August – indicates heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in some parts of the country. This is why the flood devastation has not spared any region – in Assam, for instance, vast parts of the state were submerged leading to loss of lives, property and livelihoods. Heat waves claimed 45 lives, but what is not captured in the official data is the impact of the prolonged high temperatures on people’s well-being in north India – from farmers to construction workers — and how they coped with the intense and searing heat. The good news is that fatalities because of cyclones were few – only two lives were lost according to available data from cyclones that destroyed 95,066 hectare in the country. Said Narain: “This is because of the amazing work done by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on cyclone forecasting so that there is adequate warning to governments. It is also because state governments – particularly those in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal — have improved their systems of disaster management.” Definitions, sources and the assessment methodology The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines extreme weather events as those that are “rare at a particular place and time of year”. While India does not have an official definition, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its annual “Statement of Climate of India” reports, classifies lightning and thunderstorm, heavy to very and extremely heavy rainfall, landslide and floods, cold wave, heat wave, cyclones, snowfall, dust and sandstorms, squalls, hailstorms and gales as extreme weather events. The agency has defined each of these weather events under its website “Climate Hazards and Vulnerability Atlas of India”, launched in January 2022, and in its other publications. CSE’s India 2022: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events report has sourced its data from two key Indian government sources – the IMD and the Disaster Management Division (DMD) of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. In addition, it has scanned media reports to track the events, particularly in the pre-monsoon period when official data is sketchy. The media reports have also provided further information on the extent of loss and damage. From IMD: The information on extreme weather events in the past 24 hours and forecasts and warnings are published by the IMD in its All India Weather Summary and Forecast bulletins and its daily press releases. On loss and damage due to extreme weather events, the IMD uses media reports and publishes the number of human deaths and livestock losses in its ‘Climate Summary for the Month’. From DMD: The department under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issues ‘Situation report regarding flood/heavy rainfall in the country’ as and when the event occurs. From June 2022, the situation reports have provided the ‘Cumulative loss and damage data for the monsoon season’, which gives information on human deaths during this period because of drowning, lightning strikes, landslides etc, as well as data on damage to houses, crops and livestock. In the case of any discrepancy in the three sources – IMD, DMD and media reports — the source with the highest reported number has been considered. Also, as DMD does not provide data on crop area affected for the pre-monsoon period, CSE/DTE has sourced it from media reports (which is also used by IMD for compiling its loss and damage data). Gaps in data: Says Kiran Pandey, programme director of CSE’s Environmental Resources unit and one of the writers of the report: “While a realistic estimate can be made about the number of days the country recorded extreme weather events from the IMD releases, major gaps remain when it comes to loss and damage assessment. DMD provides data as received by the states and this is mainly for the monsoon season. It does not all include extreme events, as defined by the IMD.” CSE researchers say that the data itself is not comprehensive. For instance, media reports suggest widespread crop loss in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat during the monsoon season (June-September), but the Centre’s cumulative loss and damage report for the season claims that there have been no losses in these states. The absence of a robust public database on extreme weather events in the country poses difficulties in the evaluation of disaster situations and its impacts. Says Narain: “It is clear that now, given the intensity and frequency of these events the country no longer needs to count just the disasters; it needs credible numbers on the losses and damages.” She adds: “This is what 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. Worse, it is now all coming together – each month is breaking a new record. This, in turn, is breaking the backs of the poorest who are worst impacted and are fast losing their capacities to cope with these repeated and frequent events.” Narain explains that this is the reason why the “extreme weather report card” prepared by CSE and Down To Earth is important to understand. She says: “The report speaks of the need to do much for managing these extreme events – we have to move beyond management of the disaster to reducing risks and improving resilience. This is why we need more than words to improve the systems for flood management – deliberately building drainage and water recharge systems on the one hand and investing in green spaces and forests so that these sponges of water can be revitalised for the coming storms.” She adds: “This also speaks of the need to demand reparations for the damage from the countries that have contributed to the emissions in the atmosphere and are responsible for this damage. The models that explain the impacts of climate change are clear that extreme weather events will increase in frequency and intensity. This is what we are seeing today. This report card is not good news. But it needs to be read so that we understand the revenge of nature that we are witnessing today and also understand that it will get worse tomorrow if we do not combat climate change at the scale that is needed.”

Down To Earth

India witnessed some form of natural disaster almost daily in 9 months of 2022

Due to extreme weather conditions in the first nine months of this year 2,755 persons lost their lives, 1.8 million-hectare of crop areas affected, over 400,000 houses destroyed, and nearly 70,000 heads of livestock perished. The Centre Science and Environment (CSE) in its latest report on extreme weather revealed that in just nine months in the year 2022, India witnessed some form of natural disaster almost every day. The CSE, in its report released today online, reported India recorded extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30, 2022. This means that more than 88 percent of the time over these nine months, the country was witnessing an extreme weather event of some sort happening in one or more of its regions. The assessment provides a comprehensive overview of the state of extreme weather in India across a major part of the year. recommended by Search Ads Here's How Much Aligners Can Cost In Noida Learn more "What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing," said CSE director general Sunita Narain while releasing the report. She claimed that the report provides season-wise, month-wise, and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. Telangana floods. Telangana floods.IANS "It is an attempt to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding the geography of extreme weather events in India. This is extremely important as the data that is publicly available on this subject is fragmented and fails to provide the overall picture," added Narain. floods Rescue teams in action after flash flood in Ramban district of Jammu and KashmirDeputy Commissioner Ramban Summary of the report A disaster almost every day: 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. Loss and damage under-estimated: These disasters have claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses, and killed close to 70,000 livestock. This estimation of loss and damage is probably an underestimate as data for each event – including losses of public property or crop loss -- has not been collated or estimated. 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. Karnataka, which experienced an extreme weather event on 82 days, accounted for more than 50 percent of the crop area affected in the country. Madhya Pradesh, as per official records, did not report any crop area damage. The central and north-western regions reported the highest number of days with extreme weather events at 198 and 195, respectively. In terms of human lives lost, central India topped the list with 887 deaths, followed by the east and northeast (783 deaths). Warmest, wettest, driest In 2022, India recorded its seventh wettest January since 1901. This March was also the warmest and third driest in 121 years. It was also the country's third-warmest April, 11th-warmest August, and 8th-warmest September since 1901. Eastern and northeastern India saw its warmest and driest July in 121 years. The region also recorded its second-warmest August and fourth-warmest September in 2022. In terms of the 'nature' of the event, all types of extreme weather have been seen in the past nine months – lightning and storms were spread over 30 states and claimed 773 lives. Every day of the three months of the monsoon – from June to August – indicates heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy rainfall in some parts of the country. This is why the flood devastation has not spared any region – in Assam, for instance, vast parts of the state were submerged leading to the loss of lives, property, and livelihoods. Heat waves claimed 45 lives, but what is not captured in the official data is the impact of the prolonged high temperatures on people's well-being in north India – from farmers to construction workers -- and how they coped with the intense and searing heat.

Down To Earth

Extreme weather toll in 9 months: 2,755 lives

India recorded its warmest ever and third driest March in 121 years, the third warmest April, the 11th warmest August and the eighth warmest September since 1901 Extreme weather events claimed 2,755 human lives and destroyed over 400,000 houses across India between January 1 and September 30 this year, the non-government Centre for Science and Environment said in a report released on Tuesday. The report said the extreme events — heat or cold waves, intense rainfall, floods, landslides, or storms — occurred somewhere in the country on 242 of the 273 days of those nine months. Climate scientists have predicted a rise in the frequency of extreme events under global warming. The CSE said its report was intended to build evidence on the frequency and geography of extreme weather events. “This is extremely important as the data that is publicly available on this subject is fragmented and fails to provide the overall picture,” said Sunita Narain, CSE director-general. The country’s central region had the highest number of days (198) with extreme weather events and accounted for the largest death toll (887) followed by the eastern and northeastern region where 783 people died under impacts of extreme weather, the report said. India recorded its warmest ever and third driest March in 121 years, the third warmest April, the 11th warmest August and the eighth warmest September since 1901. Eastern and northeastern India recorded their warmest and driest July in 121 years and fourth warmest September. The report said Himachal Pradesh had the highest number (359) of human fatalities attributed to extreme weather events, followed by Assam (301), which accounted for the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. Lightning and storms scattered across 30 states claimed 773 lives and heat waves caused 45 deaths. The report said the official data did not capture the impact of the prolonged high temperatures on people’s well-being in northern India. The CSE report has been released days ahead of the scheduled November 6-18 UN climate conference in Sharm el-Shaikh, Egypt, where delegations from across the world are expected to discuss ways to curb global warming as well as strategies to address impacts of extreme weather. The CSE and other environmental groups have long argued that finance is needed to compensate vulnerable countries for disasters resulting from climate change, including extreme weather events. “This can be seen as climate reparations paid by historical emitters (developed countries) of greenhouse gases, in accordance with the polluter pays principle,” the CSE said. “The question of loss and damage must be at the front and centre of all discussions at the (upcoming) conference.” The CSE on Tuesday also launched an India atlas on weather disasters, an online public interactive database on extreme weather events that it said would be updated every month.

Down To Earth

This year, natural disasters have claimed 2,755 lives in India

CSE’s new report on extreme weather gives damage update: 1.8 mn hectares of crop area affected, 4 lakh+ houses destroyed, 70,000 heads of livestock killed India recorded extreme weather events on 242 of the 273 days by September 30 this year. In other words, more than 88% of the time over these nine months, the country was witnessing an extreme weather event of some sort happening in one or more of its regions. This has emerged from a new assessment by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and ‘Down To Earth’ magazine, released here Tuesday. The assessment provides a comprehensive overview of the state of extreme weather in India across a major part of the year. To download the new report, please visit: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/climate-change ‘Down To Earth’ has also launched ‘India’s Atlas on Weather Disasters’, an online public interactive database on extreme weather events that would be updated every month. “What the country has witnessed so far in 2022 is the new abnormal in a warming world. There is a clear spike in frequency and intensity of extreme events that we are seeing,” said CSE director general Sunita Narain while releasing the report. “Our report provides season-wise, month-wise and region-wise analysis of extreme weather events and their associated loss and damage. It is an attempt to build an evidence base on the frequency and expanding geography of extreme weather events in India. This is extremely important as the data that is publicly available on this subject is fragmented and fails to provide the overall picture,” added Narain. Highlights of the report: • A disaster almost every day: 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. • Loss and damage under-estimated: 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. Says Rajit Sengupta, associate editor of Down To Earth and one of the… Read More (+)

Down To Earth

CSE Report: 100 साल में इस बार बदला है मौसम का मिजाज, हर रोज आ रही प्राकृतिक आपदाएं

Down To Earth

India recorded extreme weather events nearly every day in first nine months in 2022: CSE report

The Centre for Science and Environment also said that 2,755 persons died during these disasters. India recorded extreme weather events on 242, or 88.6%, of the 273 days between January 1 and September 30 this year, a report by not-for-profit think tank Centre for Science and Environment said on Tuesday. The extreme weather events, as classified by the India Meteorological Department, include lightning and thunderstorm, heavy to very and extremely heavy rainfall, landslide and floods, cold waves, heat waves, cyclones, snowfall, dust and sandstorms and squalls, hailstorms and gales. Advertisement The “India 2022: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events” report, in collaboration with Down To Earth magazine, found that these events have claimed 2,755 lives, destroyed 1.8 million hectares of crop area, damaged 4,16,667 houses and killed nearly 70,000 livestock. The researchers said that while the figure for extreme weather events was a realistic estimate, the loss and damage are undercounted. They said that media reports suggested widespread crop loss in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat during the monsoon season but the Centre’s report claimed that there have been no losses in the state. “The absence of a robust public database on extreme weather events in the country poses difficulties in the evaluation of disaster situations and their impacts,” the report said. It also showed that the highest number of human deaths were recorded in Himachal Pradesh at 359 although the most extreme weather events were reported from Madhya Pradesh which faced a disaster every second day. Madhya Pradesh and Assam reported 301 human fatalities each. Assam reported the highest number of damaged houses and animal deaths. Karnataka, which experienced extreme weather events on 82 days, accounted for over 50% of the crop area affected in the country. The report also said India recorded its seventh wettest January this year since 1901. “This March was also the warmest ever and the third driest in 121 years,” it added. “It was also the country’s third-warmest April, 11th warmest August and 8th warmest September since 1901.”

Down To Earth

India saw extreme weather event on 90% of days in 2022's first 9 months: Report

A Centre for Science and Environment report has claimed that India recorded an extreme weather event on almost 90% of the days in first nine months of 2022. The report added that these disasters claimed 2,775 lives, with Himachal Pradesh recording the highest number of human deaths, and affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area. Disasters destroyed 4.16 lakh houses.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

'Air pollution problem can't resolve through politics', says Kejriwal govt; asks people to WFH, share transport

The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi on Wednesday (November 2, 2022) said that the air pollution problem cannot be resolved through "politics" and asked people of the capital to work from home (WFH) and share transport. At a press conference, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with a plan, which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting farmers in Punjab for stubble burning because of their earlier protests against three contentious farm laws of the Centre. The BJP is blaming farmers for burning stubble because of their protests... They now want FIRs to be filed against them. They should stop abusing farmers, stop seeking revenge from them," he said. Farmers are forced to burn stubble in Punjab because the BJP-led Centre did not support the state government's plan to provide a cash incentive to them for not burning the crop residue, Rai added. Rai advised the people of the national capital to work from home and use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions, which is a major contributor to air pollution in the capital. "The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with a plan, which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh. According to a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), 69 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi comes from outside," he stated.