Agencies
NEW DELHI, Nov 8: Extreme weather events claimed over 3,200 lives and destroyed over 2.3 lakh houses in India in the first nine months of 2024, according to a new report.
The report by the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said India faced extreme weather events on 93 per cent of the days in the year's first nine months - 255 out of 274 days.
The report said extreme weather events claimed 3,238 lives, affected 3.2 million hectares (mha) of crops, destroyed 2,35,862 houses and buildings, and killed 9,457 livestock.
In comparison, the first nine months of 2023 recorded extreme weather on 235 of 273 days, with 2,923 deaths, 1.84 mha of crops affected, 80,293 houses damaged, and 92,519 animal deaths.
It is very likely that even these reported damages are an underestimation due to incomplete data collection on event-specific losses, particularly on public property and crop damages, data analysts who compiled the report pointed out.
Madhya Pradesh experienced extreme weather on 176 days - the most in the country. Kerala recorded the highest fatalities at 550, followed by Madhya Pradesh (353) and Assam (256). Andhra Pradesh had the most houses damaged (85,806), while Maharashtra, which saw extreme events on 142 days, accounted for over 60 per cent of the affected crop area nationwide, followed by Madhya Pradesh (25,170 ha).
Twenty-seven states and Union Territories saw a rise in extreme weather days in 2024, with Karnataka, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh each experiencing 40 or more additional days of such events.
The year 2024 also set several climate records. January was India's ninth driest since 1901. In February, the country recorded its second-highest minimum temperature in 123 years. May saw the fourth-highest mean temperature on record, and July, August, and September all registered their highest minimum temperatures since 1901.
In the northwest, January was the second driest, and July recorded the region's second-highest minimum temperature.
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