Asia was world’s most disaster-hit region by weather, climate and water hazards in 2023, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said, with floods and storms causing the highest number of casualties.
In a report published on Tuesday, WMO said that 79 disasters linked to hydro-meteorological events had been reported in Asia in 2023. More than 80% of these were related to floods and storms that caused more than 2,000 deaths.
Asia is warming faster than the global average, according to WMO. Last year, high average temperatures were recorded from western Siberia to central Asia, as well as from eastern China to Japan.
The report highlights the impact of prolonged heatwaves on South and South-East Asia during early summer. In India, severe heatwaves in April and June led to about 110 fatalities due to heatstroke.
In 2023, the mean temperature over Asia was 0.91 degree Celsius above the 1991-2020 reference period, the second highest on record. Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat events last year.
The report underscores the critical role of precipitation in shaping significant climate phenomena like droughts and floods. It highlights substantial precipitation deficits observed across various regions, including the Turan Lowland (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan); the Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan); the Himalayas; around the Ganges and lower course of the Brahmaputra Rivers (India and Bangladesh); the Arakan Mountains (Myanmar); and the lower course of the Mekong River.
The onset of the monsoon in India was delayed in 2023. Below-normal rainfall during the monsoon season led to a precipitation deficit in many parts of the Indian subcontinent. The monsoon rainfall, averaged over India from June to September, was about 6 per cent below the 1971-2000 average. For the second consecutive year, certain regions in south-west India, the Ganges catchment, and the lower course of the Brahmaputra received less-than-normal precipitation.
The report also highlights multiple extreme precipitation events that occurred in 2023, citing landslides in India during July and August due to intense monsoon rains.
“In August 2023, widespread floods and landslides struck multiple states in India, including Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, claiming 25 lives and causing extensive damage to infrastructure and agriculture,” it said.
The report indicates that glaciers in Asia have experienced substantial mass loss over the past four decades. In 2023, record-breaking high temperatures and drier conditions in the Eastern Himalayas and the Tien Shan mountain range further intensified the loss of glacial mass.
The report highlights lightning as a leading cause of fatalities in India, with thunderstorms and lightning claiming around 1200 lives across various parts of the country in 2023.
(With input from agencies)