The global cost of disasters is growing: The economic burden of disasters is intensifying. While the direct costs of disasters averaged $70–80 billion a year between 1970 and 2000, between 2001 and 2020 these annual costs grew significantly to $180–200 billion. But the real cost is far higher. Disaster costs …
The authors in this paper present a factual and a brief review of the extreme weather events that occurred in India during the last 100 years (1991-2004). The socio-economic impacts of the extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, cyclones, hail storm, thunderstorm, heat and cold waves have been increasing …
Natural disasters have enormous impacts on human society, especially on the development of the economy. To support decision making in mitigation and adaption to natural disasters, assessment of economic impacts is fundamental and of great significance. Based on a review of the literature of economic impact evaluation, this paper proposes …
The early rains of the 2013 monsoon ended the drought in Maharashtra. But the long-term problem remains. A combination of measures is required to tackle the issue.
Despite its rich resources like forests and minerals, Bundelkhand is a region of distress and crisis. A study fi nds that the distress of the region simply cannot be explained by the absence or irregularity of rainfall. There are long-term structural problems which have had a cumulative effect over the …
NOTHING in India is as terrifying as the thought that the monsoon might not come. Robert Kaplan, in his book “Monsoon”, claims global warming is causing a more erratic monsoon, which “could spell disaster”. Around half of India’s population, some 600m people, still depend on farming, and nearly two-thirds of …
The Gonella Hut, more than 3,000 metres up on the Italian side of Monte Bianco, should be bustling with climbers in August. Instead, it is empty. Davide Gonella, the manager, closed it at the end of last month for lack of water. “The snowfield we use for our supply had …
The emission of greenhouse gases by human activity is set to lead to drought, rising sea levels and flooding in many parts of the world. But in Africa's Sahel region, at the southern edge of the Sahara desert, there could be an upside. The Sahel is the transition region between …
The G7-backed African Risk Capacity (ARC) drought insurance policy was an experiment that failed Malawi, and in particular its women, in the face of a drought that need not have become a disaster. The insurance, for which Malawi paid US$5 million (m), failed to deliver on its promise of timely …
UNITED NATIONS, (Xinhua) -- As a possible famine looms, an increasing number of children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, cholera or acute watery diarrhea in Somalia, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. More than 35,400 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were treated with life-saving therapeutic food …
UK aid agencies have launched a fundraising appeal to help millions of people facing hunger in East Africa. The Disasters Emergency Committee says at least 16 million people in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan need food, water and medical treatment. Drought and conflict are to blame for the crisis, …
The south-western United States is almost certain to experience a “megadrought” lasting decades if global warming continues unchecked, researchers have warned. The once-mighty Colorado river, which has regularly failed to reach the ocean since the 1960s, is already in the grip of the worst 15-year drought on record with the …
As a result of the drought, a total of 174,000 children are not attending school in the affected counties, and 1,274 schools have no access to water, affecting 246,000 children. Highlights About 2.7 million people in Kenya are now in need of relief assistance, up from 1.3 million in August …
• With the threat of climate change and population growth, Myanmar – a nation rich in water resources – has to put in place proper measures to ensure water security for the future, experts said. • National University of Singapore’s Assistant Professor Dr Winston Chow, who has been studying the …
Forests around the world are at risk of death due to widespread drought, University of Stirling researchers have found. An analysis, published in the journal Ecology Letters, suggests that forests are at risk globally from the increased frequency and severity of droughts. The study found a similar response in trees …
• Scientists from the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) say there is a possibility of a new El Niño event forming later this year. • In 2015 and 2016, a powerful El Niño drove up global temperatures and played a role in droughts in many parts of the world. • Normally …
Ironically it drizzled ever so slightly yesterday just as Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy declared that Northland is officially in the grip of its fifth drought in the past eight years. But like almost every drop of rain to fall on the North since mid-November, the rain was gone - …
Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) are located in regions with alternating wet and dry seasons, with dry seasons that last several months or more. By the end of the 21st century, climate models predict substantial changes in rainfall regimes across these regions, but little is known about how individuals, species, …
Villagers at Mhlotsheni village near Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape are drinking and washing in muddy water as their only stream dries up. The small Rhontsana stream, which feeds the Umzimvubu River and serves as a main source of water for more than 300 households, has been drying up …
Many pupils in Garissa County have stopped going to school and joined their parents in search of water and pasture for their livestock as drought continues to ravage the region.As the situation worsens, the Ministry of Education, in conjunction with non-governmental organisations, has established mobile schools that follow the pastoralists …
The 2012 drought in Maharashtra's Marathwada region was mainly the result of lack of good water governance and poor operation of watershed development and irrigation projects. A policy that restrains sugar cane cultivation and modernises all types of water resource development works will go a long way in ensuring that …
