Deaths due to extreme weather events rose 18% in India in just 3 years: DTE-CSE analysis

Climate change-induced extreme weather events occurred on more number of days in 2024 and also became more intense in India compared to the last two years, according to an assessment by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down To Earth.

The analysis of the first nine months of 2024 showed that India experienced extreme weather events on 255 out of 274 days. The tally for the same period was 235 days in 2023 and 241 days in 2022.

The authors studied the occurrence of seven extreme weather events: Lightning and storms; heavy rains, floods and landslides; heavwaves; coldwaves and cold days; cloudbursts; cyclones and snowfall.

Not only did the frequency of extreme weather events increase in 2024, they also became more intense, causing greater damage, according to the report released November 8, 2024.

As many as 3,238 people lost their lives due to such events lost in 2024, compared to 2,755 in 2022 — a rise of 18 per cent in just three years.

The authors also observed a drastic impact on agriculture, with 3.2 million hectares of cropped land affected in 2024. This was a 74 per cent increase from the 1.84 million hectares damaged in 2022, the authors of the report noted. "However, this number likely underestimates the true damage, as data from major agricultural states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana was unavailable."

Looking at the overall picture, the extreme weather events that battered India on 93 per cent of the days from January through September 2024, also destroyed 235,862 houses and buildings and killed approximately 9,457 livestock. Last year, the respective figures were 80,293 and 92,519 for the same period.

For India, 2024 was a year of extremes, with almost every month shattering one grim temperature or precipitation record or the other.

“These record-breaking statistics reflect climate change’s impact, where events that used to occur once every century are now happening every five years or even less," said CSE Director-General and Down To Earth Editor Sunita Narain.

Parsed regionally, Central India recorded the highest number of extreme weather days this year — 218 days. The region also saw significant increases in crop loss, underscoring the high cost of climate change borne by farmers, the authors of the report noted.

Madhya Pradesh saw the most number of days with extreme weather — 176 — among the states and Union territories. "Kerala recorded the highest fatalities at 550, followed by Madhya Pradesh (353) and Assam (256)," highlighted the authors in a press statement on their analysis.

The largest affected crop area (more than 60 per cent) was in Maharashtra and most houses damaged due to extreme weather events was in Andhra Pradesh, the report showed.

The authors have also flagged that the actual losses are likely to be higher because of data gaps, especially in measuring damage to public propery and crops.

In fact, merely the extreme weather events toll doesn't capture the threat it poses for human health and livelihoods, according to the authors. “While heatwaves claimed 210 lives, the data does not reflect the extended health impacts of prolonged high temperatures on the wellbeing of people in North India, including farmers and laborers, who endured intense heat with little means of relief," said Rajit Sengupta, associate editor of DTE and one of the writers of this report.

Similarly, the toll of severe cold snaps and frost on crop losses is not captured, highlighting the need for robust compensation systems for weather-induced losses, he added. "Without this support, farmers are pushed into debt, exacerbating their marginalisation and poverty.”