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New Delhi.- Episodes of extreme rainfall and heat waves marked the year 2024 in South Asia, according to the latest State of the Climate in Asia report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Regarding extreme rainfall, the organization's report highlighted several moments, including the rainfall that occurred on July 30, 2024, in the Wayanad district, in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
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Following these rains, Indian authorities counted 350 deaths as a result of the disaster.
In addition, already in the final phase of the monsoon, between September 26 and October 3, sustained rains were recorded in Nepal that led, days later, to landslides in which 246 people died and 178 were injured; although 1,000 families were affected and 1,500 houses were destroyed. The monsoon advanced on June 20th over India, showing an earlier arrival than usual, with cooler temperatures and clean air, while its most destructive face wreaks havoc in the northeast, with severe floods already affecting hundreds of thousands of people. At the same time, this phenomenon is exacerbated by local management factors, such as deforestation and infrastructure construction, which have reduced the area's natural water absorption capacity. The monsoon is a vital phenomenon for India, as it provides about 70% of the rainfall that the country needs for agriculture and is considered the mainstay of an economy of almost 4 trillion dollars. Weeks earlier, rainfall had affected the eastern region of Koshi, especially the town of Thame. The WMO specified that Pakistan is one of the world's countries most vulnerable to floods and the effects of extreme rainfall. Regarding the heat waves, the other meteorological phenomenon that most affected the subcontinent, the WMO drew attention to the moments of extreme temperatures in which more than 450 people died.
