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India’s ageing population is bearing the brunt of climate‑driven floods and cyclones.
New research shows adults over 45 years face sharply higher risks of diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, dengue and malaria after disasters.
Weakened immunity, chronic illness and poor mobility, combined with ill‑equipped relief camps and weak geriatric planning, leave elders dangerously exposed.
When floodwaters swept through Bihar last monsoon, 68-year-old Ramesh Yadav spent four days wading through contaminated water to reach a relief camp. Within a week, he had developed acute diarrhoea and a skin infection. His story is far from unique.
A new study published in the journal Discover Public Health now provides hard evidence for what communities have long observed: Older adults in India who experience floods and cyclones face significantly elevated risks of contracting waterborne and vector-borne diseases.
The research analysed health data from across India's flood and cyclone-prone regions, examining disease outcomes among adults aged 45 and above. The findings are stark, elderly individuals exposed to water-related disasters showed markedly increased odds of developing diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, dengue, and malaria in the aftermath.
Why are the elderly most at risk? Health issues resulting from floods exhibit divergence among different age groups. The susceptibility to physical injuries, infections, respiratory disorders, healthcare disruptions, mental health issues, malnutrition, and waterborne diseases varies with the unique vulnerabilities of each age group. Older adults, new-borns, and infants face a higher likelihood of mortality attributable to flood-related causes.
The youth, elderly, females, poor and those living in coastal regions are particularly susceptible to climate change. Weakened immune systems, chronic conditions, and reduced mobility make older adults less able to cope with contaminated water, crowded shelters and disrupted medication access.
The Sundarbans, a coastal delta and major climate hotspot located in West Bengal, faces significant climatic and ecological challenges including islands affected by rising sea levels, erratic rainfall and cyclones. Climate change uncertainties and other drivers of change are now increasing, which is affecting the local people’s vulnerability and ability to cope.
Yet India's disaster management framework continues to treat the elderly as an afterthought. Relief camps rarely have age-appropriate sanitation, medical teams lack geriatric training, and early warning systems often fail to reach isolated elderly residents.
Mitigating the adverse health effects of floods necessitates robust disaster planning, improved infrastructure, and targeted health interventions tailored to the age-related vulnerabilities of the population.
Community and social support in rural and remote areas during extreme weather events and the importance of primary healthcare services in disaster management are essential. Healthcare utilization patterns change during these events, with increased demand for emergency services but reduced access to routine care due to disrupted services and financial constraints.
The study calls for integrating geriatric health into disaster preparedness: age-specific surveillance during disasters, priority access to clean water for elderly evacuees, mobile health units for chronic conditions, and community health worker training on elderly vulnerability.
With India’s elderly population set to nearly triple by 2050, and climate change intensifying flood and cyclone frequency, this is not a problem that can wait.
Anurag Yadav is a doctoral research scholar at the Govind Ballabh Pant Social Science Institute, Prayagraj. Views expressed are the author’s own and don’t necessarily reflect those of Down To Earth.