2017 South Asian floods

Widespread monsoon flooding occurred in the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan from July through September 2017. By 30 August, more than 41 million people were known to be affected by the floods,[1] a figure that increased by 10% over the following three days, topping 45 million by 2 September. According to UNICEF, that figure includes 16 million children.[2][3]

2017 South Asian floods
DateJuly–September 2017
Location Bangladesh
India
Nepal
Pakistan
CauseMonsoon
DeathsAround 1,300

About 2,000 people, on average, have died due to flooding in South Asia each year during the previous two decades, according to The New York Times' reading of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (EM-DAT) disaster database.[4]

Background and context

Monsoons hit South Asia every year between June and September, but the 2017 monsoon season has been far worse than average,[5] bringing flooding, and associated landslides, of a scale unseen in recent years. Experts have called these the worst South Asian floods in decades, with long-term food supplies in question due to ruined farmland.[6] As of 2 September, 1,288 people have been confirmed killed, and more than 45 million affected.[2] The estimated number of people affected increased from 24 million to 41 million during the last week of August 2017.[7][8][9]

The International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCD) and others have asserted that these floods have been exacerbated by climate change.[10][11]

Countries affected

Bangladesh

As of 1 September, flooding that the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called the worst in four decades covered approximately one-third of Bangladesh, primarily in the northern, north-eastern, and central parts of the country. At the height of the storms on 11 August, a week of regular monsoon rain fell in the span of a few hours.[12] More rain and flooding was expected, including in Dhaka, the country's capital. Over six million have been affected, according to UNICEF, with estimates ranging as high as 8.5 million.[12][13] Property losses included nearly 700,000 damaged or destroyed homes, 4,680,000 hectares (11,600,000 acres) of farmland inundated, and thousands of miles of damaged roads.[2][8][13] The sheer amount of destroyed farmland, coming during the regular time of rice cultivation, has sparked fears of a food crisis in the country.[14][12]

Around 140 deaths from the floods were reported.[12] Over fifty thousand people have been displaced, adding to nearly thirty thousand refugees fleeing the 2016–17 Northern Rakhine State clashes.[12][15]

India
See also: 2017 Northeast India floods, 2017 Gujarat flood, 2017 West Bengal floods, 2017 Bihar flood, and 2017 Mumbai flood
Helicopter deployed by Indian Air Force for rescue in flooded regions of Gujarat

Flooding in India has been primarily confined to the northern portion of the country, including Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.[16] In the latter two, over 500 and over a hundred have died (respectively).[17][18] By mid-August, flooding had affected over 31 million people, and damaged or destroyed over 800,000 houses.[2] Over 85% of Kaziranga National Park was flooded.[19] Government officials were criticized for not placing more preventative measures before these floods hit. In Bihar, for example, Reuters reported that there was anger at the number of embankments and roads which were designed with few to no provisions for water drainage.[20] In Gujarat state, the floods and rains were reported to have caused 224 deaths in June and July months.[21]

Mumbai faces severe problems each year during the monsoon season because of its loose building restrictions and large homeless population,[22][23] but this year's season saw the city receive more rainfall and worse flooding than the Maharashtra floods of 2005.[8] One hospital was flooded, and the city's public transportation was forced to shut down.[24] The weather also caused a century-old multi-story building to collapse, killing at least 33.[25][22] On 29 August 2017, Mumbai was again witness to floods due to a confluence of torrential rains and high tide, resulting in 298 mm of rainfall in a period of 9 hours.[26] 5 people are reported to have lost their lives in Mumbai due to the deluge which saw the highest rainfall in a single day in August since 1997.[27]

For the third consecutive year, monsoon season has been marked by flooding in the northwest and northeast regions, while drought in India worsens along the southern peninsula. According to an Indo-Asian News Service release issued in September, these "rainfall extremes have increased threefold over the last few years and now extend over all of central India -- from Gujarat to Odisha."[28][29]

Nepal

As of 24 August 143 people have been killed in Nepal; 1.7 million have been affected by them, and around 461,000 have been forced out of their residences.[30][31] Over 34,000 homes were flooded, destroying 1,000. Parts of the Mahendra Highway, the most important east–west connection in the country, were washed away, and agricultural experts predicted that the country's rice production would be adversely affected.[32] The runway of Biratnagar Airport was flooded and the airport was forced to close on 15 August.[33]

Experts stated that the flooding was the worst seen by Nepal in several years; about one-third of the country was flooded, much of it in the poorest areas of the country.[8][34]

Pakistan
See also: 2017 Karachi floods

Monsoon rains caused urban flooding in Karachi and Rawalpindi, the largest city in Pakistan. At least 23 people, including seven children, died after Karachi received up to 130 millimetres (5.1 in) of rainfall on 31 August. Most of the victims died from being electrocuted, with others being killed by partial building collapses or drowning. Two more died in Kashmore and Jamshoro districts of Sindh.[35][36]

The flooding followed a little more than a week after 41 millimetres (1.6 in) of rain fell on Karachi on 21–22 August. There, 19 people died in rain-related incidents—including electrocution, falling billboards, and roof collapse, according to the Edhi and Chhipa rescue services.[37]

References
  1. Ferand, Chloe INDEPENDENT: "At least 41 million people affected in floods in India, Bangladesh and Nepal, UN says", 30 August 2017. Accessed 12 September 2017.
  2. "16 million children affected by massive flooding in South Asia, with millions more at risk". UNICEF. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  3. "Flooding in India, Nepal, Bangladesh affecting 16 million children: UNICEF". The Times of India. 3 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  4. Raj, Suhasini; Gettleman, Jeffrey (7 September 2017). "They Thought the Monsoons Were Calm. Then Came the Deadly Floods". The New York Times.
  5. "South Asia floods: What's happening? – CBBC Newsround". BBC News. 2 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  6. Reuters. "UN: Bangladesh Risks 'Devastating' Hunger after Major Floods". VOA. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  7. "Deadly South Asia floods affect 16m people". BBC News. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  8. Gettleman, Jeffrey (29 August 2017). "More Than 1,000 Died in South Asia Floods This Summer". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  9. Leister, Eric (23 August 2017). "24 million people impacted by monsoon flooding in India, Nepal and Bangladesh". AccuWeather.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  10. Ahmed, Farid. "South Asia Struggles to Contain Flood Damage". The Wire. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  11. Watts, Jonathan (31 August 2017). "In an era of dire climate records the US and South Asia floods won't be the last". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  12. Steve, George (1 September 2017). "A third of Bangladesh under water as flood devastation widens". CNN. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  13. "Bangladesh Humanitarian Situation Report (Monsoon Floods)". UNICEF. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  14. "How dire climate displacement warnings are becoming a reality in Bangladesh". The New Humanitarian. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  15. Wright, Rebecca; McKirdy, Euan (31 August 2017). "Bodies of 20 Rohingya Muslims pulled from river on Bangladesh border". CNN. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  16. "At Least 950 Killed in South Asia's Annual Monsoon Floods". The New York Times. Associated Press. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  17. "Flood Situation Improves in Bihar, Number of Dead at 514". NDTV.com. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  18. "Uttar Pradesh's Flood Woes Continue; Toll Touches 104". NDTV.com. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  19. Kalita, Prabin; Mitra, Naresh (14 August 2017). "Worst flood in 29 years hits Assam". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  20. Rupam, Tommy; Wilkes, Jain (1 September 2017). "Worst floods to hit South Asia in decade expose lack of monsoon planning". Reuters. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  21. "અતિવૃષ્ટિનો કેર: ગુજરાતમાં ૨૨૪નાં મૃત્યુ, બનાસકાંઠામાં સૌથી વધુ ૬૧" [Flood terror: 224 died in Gujarat, highest in Banaskantha at 61]. Gujarat Samachar (in Gujarati) (Ahmedabad ed.). 2 August 2017. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  22. "Death toll from Mumbai building collapse rises to 33". Al Jazeera. Associated Press. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  23. Dhillon, Amrit; Carr, Carlin (1 September 2017). "'Not a single thing was dry': Mumbai's residents count the cost of floods". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  24. "Mumbai flooding causes transport chaos". BBC News. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  25. Dhillon, Amrit (31 August 2017). "South Asia floods: Mumbai building collapses as monsoon rains wreak havoc". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  26. "Record breaking Mumbai Rains of 298 mm in 9 hours; reminder of 2005 deluge | Skymet Weather Services". www.skymetweather.com. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  27. "Five Dead As Mumbai Records Highest Rainfall In A Single Day In August Since 1997". Huffington Post India. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  28. Indo-Asian News Service (IANS): "What's causing so many changes to India's Monsoons?" by Raghu Murtugudde, 3 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  29. NDTV.com"Why India's Monsoons are changing rapidly" by Raghu Murtugudde, New Delhi Television, 3 September 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
  30. "Nepal: Flood 2017 – Office of the Resident Coordinator Situation Report No. 5 (as of 24 August 2017)". ReliefWeb. OCHA. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  31. "UNICEF Nepal Humanitarian Situation Report 6, 26 August 2017". ReliefWeb. OCHA. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  32. Mandal, Chandan Kumar (14 August 2017). "Floods claim 57 lives across country". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  33. "Biratnagar Airport shut down". The Himalayan Times. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  34. "Floods kill almost 1,000 in India, Nepal and Bangladesh". Al Jazeera. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  35. Imtiaz Ali, Hanif Samoon, Asim Khan (31 August 2017). "23 killed as monsoon rains lash Karachi". Dawn. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  36. "Seven children among 23 killed as downpour cripples life in Karachi". Dawn. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  37. "19 die as rain wreaks havoc on Karachi". Dawn. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
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