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| The remains of a community in India after it had been hit by a massive flood. Photo: Floodlist |
A few weeks ago I looked at how climate related weather
events in regions such as Dhaka and Bhola Island had forced families to flee
their homes with little or no warning and take refuge in slums. In this week’s
post I hope to indulge further into one of those extreme events – floods, and
the impacts it has on the continent of Asia.
In terms of area, Asia is the largest continent in the
world, making up 17.4 million square miles and it is argued that out of the
seven continents, it makes up one third of all the areas on the globe (Mattem 2002). Not only is Asia the largest land based continent in the world, but it
is also the largest populated continent with around 4.6 billion people living
in the region (almost 60% of the world’s population), according to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Asia is home to many developing countries,
ranging from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, to the Philippines and Nepal. Thus the
huge population of the region along with the high number of developing nations
means that climate change could have a huge impact.
A study carried out by Manton et al 2013 (where all the following sources were cited) argued that floods are the most treacherous and exorbitant
of all natural catastrophes and it is well known that Asian countries regularly
suffer from flooding (McCarthy et al 2001). Flooding occurs as a result of many
different factors, yet these factors are all associated with climate change.
For example, flooding can be a result of increased levels of rainfall which can
be caused by climate variability (e.g. El Nino), while rising temperatures lead
to thermal expansion thus leading to sea level rise (World Bank 2010). The Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have indicated that between 2000 and 2009
nearly half (38%) of the flood incidents that were recorded took place in Asia,
killing up to 37 million people and causing economics damages in excess of $85
billion, badly affecting developing nations.
Past:
One developing country that is particularly prone to
flooding is Bangladesh due to its low lying land. In 1988, floods hit 52% of
the country, with 85 % of the capital Dhaka being covered by water. Reports
suggest that out of the 6 million residents who were living in Dhaka at the
time, up to 4 million of them were sternly impacted as the floods cleared away
their homes and livelihoods, with 150 people being killed immediately as a result
of the floods, and through secondary impacts such as starvation as a result of
crops and livestock being submerged (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2010). Similarly, the floods that hit Mumbai in 2005
were just as devastating. As a result of the heavy rain that took place (Bhagatet al 2006), up to 500 people were either seriously hurt or killed, while
economic losses reached $2 billion, forcing many people to become climate
migrants as they had to leave their homes (Hallegatte et al 2010). The table
below shows the number of floods that have occurred in Asia between 2006/2016
and the scale of impacts that it has caused. Out of all the climate related
disasters that occurred during this period, floods led to the most deaths,
injuries, homelessness and economic damage, as seen below.
Disaster type
|
Occurrence
|
Total Deaths
|
Injured
|
Affected
|
Homeless
|
Total affected
|
Total damage ($)
|
Flood
|
737
|
44,284
|
49,283
|
732,201,514
|
12,352,736
|
744,604,073
|
217,829,977
|
Present:
In June 2016, 100 people died in a monsoon flooding that
took place in South Asia as a result of torrential rain. In addition to these
deaths, hundreds of thousands of people had been displaced according to a BBC article. The article continued to say that out of all the countries that got
hit, Nepal was the most impacted with over 75 deaths recorded. India recorded
22 deaths as a result of the flooding, with a further 1.5 million people
directly affected, with many losing their homes and having to be moved to
shelter. Huge regions of farmland and roads had been swamped, thus impacting
food security as crops and livestock are essential to developing nations, while
blocked roads mean that it will take longer to get emergency aid to those who
need it the most, increasing the possibility of secondary impacts arising, such
as illness as a result of contaminated water. The data below indicates the
impact of flooding in Asia for the year 2016. As previous years, it was once
again the highest occurring extreme climate event in the region. It should be remembered
that the year is not over and already these large figures seen below have been
reached.
Disaster type
|
Occurrence
|
Total deaths
|
Injured
|
Affected
|
Homeless
|
Total affected
|
Total damage ($)
|
Flood
|
53
|
2,502
|
136
|
7,841,612
|
2,078,870
|
9,920,618
|
18,589,590
|
Future:
Unfortunately, the situation does not seem to be improving.
Scientists have used models to predict that if climate change continues at the
rate it is currently moving, impacts of flooding may be more significant. They
have indicated that by 2050 there will be augmented flooding impacting cities
such as Bangkok, Manila and Ho Chi Minh. Thus the cost of damage from flooding
as a result of climate change are estimated to range from 2%-6%, meaning that
if a flood were to occur in Manila for example, it would cost up to $1.5 billion, impacting
the livelihood of thousands of people (World Bank 2010). Similarly, if the
flood that took place in Mumbai in 2005 was to transpire once more in 2080, the
significances will be far superior. The costs would be twofold and total losses
both openly as a result of the flood and also as a result of secondary impacts
such as death from diseases could triple (Hallgatte et al 2010).
Although Asia suffers from a vast majority of climate
related weather events, it is clear that the most common is flood. The impact
flooding has on developing countries in Asia such as Bangladesh and Nepal is
huge, with many deaths and injuries occurring as a result. Not only are fatalities
common, but the economic losses are also catastrophic, for the country as a
whole, but also per person, as many people lose everything that they own, from
homes to livestock thus reducing the quality of life for regions that already
have a fragile economy.
