In 2023, Asia faced a staggering 79 extreme weather, climate, and water-related hazard events, affecting over nine million people and claiming the lives of more than 2,000 individuals. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), over 80% of these reported disasters were flood and storm events.
Flooding alone accounted for over 60% of the fatalities, while storms affected the largest number of people and caused extensive economic damage. Despite a slight decrease in reported disasters compared to 2022, the impact on Asia was significant. Notably, India experienced the devastating consequences of extreme weather events, including severe heatwaves, rainfall-induced floods, glacial lake outbursts, and tropical cyclones.
The report highlights the sobering reality that Asia has warmed faster than the global average and that this warming trend has intensified since the period between 1961 and 1990. As a result, indicators such as surface temperatures, glacier retreat, and sea level rise are accelerating rapidly, posing significant threats to Asia’s economy, ecosystems, and societies.
In April and June of 2023, severe heat waves in India resulted in approximately 110 heatstroke deaths. The Ballia and Deoria districts of Uttar Pradesh were particularly hard-hit, with over 100 fatalities, many of them elderly citizens with pre-existing medical conditions.
Floods occurred throughout India in August 2023, causing 25 deaths in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and extensive infrastructure and agricultural damage. The Indian government declared a state of emergency in the most severely affected areas and initiated rescue and relief operations.
The Indian subcontinent experienced six tropical cyclones in 2023, which formed in the North Indian Ocean. The cyclone activity was slightly above the average of 5.4 cyclones. Four of these cyclones formed over the Bay of Bengal and two over the Arabian Sea. The extremely severe cyclonic storm Mocha made landfall in Myanmar, claiming 156 lives, while Michaung caused 22 fatalities in India.
The report also emphasizes the escalating risks faced by vulnerable mountain communities due to climate change-induced glacier retreat, highlighted by a significant glacial lake outburst flood that occurred in Sikkim’s South Lhonak Lake in October 2023. The incident resulted in the overtopping and breaching of the Chungthang dam downstream on the Teesta River, leading to over 40 deaths.
