India lost $4 bn to extreme weather last year

India has suffered an economic loss of $4.2 billion in 2022 due to extreme weather events and climatic disasters, most of which were caused by flood, according to a new World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) report that also flagged lightning and thunderstorms as one of the major killers in the country.

India’s loss was the third largest in Asia after Pakistan ($15 billion) that witnessed a devastating flood, and China ($5 billion), parts of which were flooded.

Economic losses associated with droughts were the next largest category, causing $7.6 billion in damages mainly in China.

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Taken together, the total loss exceeded the 2002–2021 average ($2.6 billion) by nearly 200 per cent, said the report released on Thursday.

Heavy rainfall during the monsoon season triggered multiple landslides, river overflows and floods, resulting in casualties and damage. Cumulatively, such flooding caused over 2,000 deaths and affected 1.3 million people, making it India’s worst disaster event last year with the highest number of casualties.

According to the UN meteorology agency, extreme weather and climate change impacts are on a rise in Asia, which ricocheted between droughts and floods in 2022, ruining lives and destroying livelihoods. In addition, melting glaciers and rising sea levels threaten more socio-economic disruption in future.

In India, lightning accompanied by thunderstorms has emerged as one of the biggest killers in recent years. In 2022, thunderstorms and lightning claimed around 1,200 lives in different parts of the country. On May 19–20, at least 34 people were killed in lightning strikes in Bihar, said the WMO report.

There were 81 weather, climate and water-related disasters in Asia in 2022, of which over 83 per cent were flood and storm events.

More than 5,000 people lost their lives across the continent, over 50 million people were directly affected and there were more than $36 billion in economic damages, said the report. In addition, a large part of arid Asia experienced severe dust storms.