Droughts and Floods

National Green Tribunal urges Coastal Zone Management Authorities to address rising sea levels and island submergence

Rural job demand under MGNREGA rises as monsoon plays truant

India releases the 'FloodWatch' app to provide real-time flood updates

For centuries, India has grappled with the regular occurrence of floods and droughts. Floods and droughts, among the most concrete and devastating outcomes of the climate crisis, are now increasingly affecting communities worldwide.

Himachal Pradesh has once again been hit by natural calamities and has yet to fully recover from the destruction brought on by the severe rains in July. The death toll from incidents related to rain and cloudbursts continues to rise in the state. Heavy rains have caused widespread destruction due to landslides on Shimla's Summer Hill, Krishna Nagar, and Phagli.

Marathwada is one of the most drought-prone regions of India and the increasing severity of droughts and their adverse impacts on socioeconomic conditions in the region have been of major concern in recent years. Majority of the area of Marathwada is under rain-fed agriculture and the summer monsoon rainfall is crucial for agricultural production in the region.

These days, Punjab is in the grip of floods. In more than 1,400 villages in 19 districts of Punjab, water from Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Ghaggar is causing heavy damage to crops, houses, people, and other belongings. The state government has evacuated more than 25,000 people to safer places to avoid the flood.

Northern India was battered by heavy rains over the past two weeks, with New Delhi marking its wettest day on July 9th, 2023, in more than 40 years, according to officials and local media.

Approximately 66% of individuals in India are exposed to extreme flood events. However, only 33% of the exposed individuals are covered by flood early warning systems (EWS), according to a new report released by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) recently.

Researchers from the Netherlands' Wageningen University and the W-CReS (WOTR Centre For Resilience Studies) have undertaken a thorough investigation that has revealed key insights for improving climate resilience in semi-arid farming systems.