Climate Change
Scorching heatwave in India’s Rajasthan kills nine
At least nine people have died of suspected heat stroke in India's western state of Rajasthan, media said on Friday, with temperatures expected to soar further amid predictions of a severe heat wave.
Searing heat in the country's north has been a cause of concern during a mammoth general election, and the capital, New Delhi, is set to vote on Saturday in temperatures forecast to be around 45 degrees C (113 degrees F), Reuters reported.
India's summer temperatures often peak in May, but scientists have predicted more heatwave days than usual this year, largely caused by fewer non-monsoon thundershowers and an active but weakening El Nino weather phenomenon.
At least nine deaths in Rajasthan were suspected to have resulted from people falling sick in the sweltering heat, local media said.
The state's disaster management officials told Reuters they had yet to ascertain the cause, as medical examinations were not complete.
The news comes after the city of Barmer in Rajasthan topped temperature charts this week with a record 48.8 C (119.84 F) on Thursday.
Weather officials have warned of conditions ranging from a heatwave to a severe heatwave in many parts of the state, as well as in the northern states of Punjab and Haryana.
Indian weather officials set the heatwave threshold at a maximum temperature of 40 C (104 F) in the country's plains, as well as a departure of at least 4.5 C from the normal maximum temperature.
In the southern state of Kerala, by contrast, at least seven people died following pre-monsoon rains that were about 18% percent heavier than normal, bringing floods that disrupted flight schedules in some areas.
Climate Change
EU pledges €15 million to WFP to help mitigate climate crisis impact on Afghans
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed a €15 million (US$15.8 million) contribution from the European Union (EU) for its climate related activities in Afghanistan.
According to a statement issued by the EU on Thursday, this contribution will help local communities prepare for natural disasters and face the devastating effects of climate change, and support farmers for more productive and sustainable agriculture.
So far this year, more than 160,000 people have been affected by flooding in Afghanistan. Floods have destroyed almost 20,000 homes, and thousands of hectares of agricultural land.
“The European Union is committed to assisting the people of Afghanistan in adapting to climate change, which is severely threatening food security and livelihoods notably of rural communities, said the EU Chargée d’Affaires to in Afghanistan, Veronika Boskovic Pohar.
“Climate-related shocks also exacerbate host communities’ capacity to support internally displaced people and returnees from neighboring countries, and they discourage farmers in poppy-cultivating areas from sustainably shifting to licit crops.
“This latest contribution increases the European Union’s steady support to WFP’s resilience programme in Afghanistan to a total EUR 85.1 million since 2022”, she said.
Harald Mannhardt, WFP Deputy Country Director in Afghanistan, said: “This latest funding from the European Union comes at a critical moment as WFP earlier this year was forced to halt projects across the country due to a massive funding shortfall.”
Afghanistan is currently ranked seventh on the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index of countries most vulnerable and least prepared to adapt to climate change.
Climate Change
Malaysia records six months of rain in just five days
One of the worst hit areas was Kelantan which recorded 1,442mm of rain between November 26 and 30
Six months worth of Malaysia’s average annual rainfall fell within five days across the east coast of the country last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said early Tuesday.
One of the worst hit areas was Kelantan which recorded 1,442mm of rain between November 26 and 30.
Ibrahim said the high rainfall led to flooding that forced a large number of people in Kelantan and Terengganu to be evacuated.
The recorded rainfall at Irrigation and Drainage Department stations in Tanah Merah and Tumpat, exceeded 1,167mm in just five days.
“According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), the reading (in Kelantan) was at 1,442mm, an extraordinarily high level of rainfall. In Terengganu, MetMalaysia’s Besut station recorded 1,761mm of rain during the same period.
“Overall, the (average) rainfall was 1,349mm, far beyond our expectations,” Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) on Tuesday.
He also said the government is preparing for the forecast monsoon surge as announced by MetMalaysia, expected to start after Dec 8.
By Tuesday, some residents in the town of Tumpat were returning to submerged homes and shops as deadly floodwaters eased in some areas.
People who returned to their homes found many had collapsed, with parts of walls, roofs and broken furniture lying scattered in pools of water.
Muhamad Alim, a 56-year-old shopkeeper whose food store was inundated, recalled fast-rising waters in his home and his grandchildren crying as the flood surged on Saturday night.
"Electricity was cut off, and there was no water supply. So, we were stuck, sitting there as if we were in the middle of the sea, surrounded by water," he told Reuters.
"You could hear the sound of water rushing cutting through the silence of the night."
Six people have died in Malaysia and more than 150,000 were evacuated during the height of the floods last week, government data showed.
In Thailand, the death toll is 25, and more than 300,000 households were still affected, the interior ministry said.
The number of people in temporary shelters in Malaysia fell to just under 95,000 on Tuesday morning, though the authorities remain on guard for a second wave of floods this week.
Malaysia's Meteorological Department expects a wind convergence to begin on Tuesday, potentially bringing heavy showers, with a monsoon surge to follow on Dec. 8.
In Thailand, the Meteorological Department warned people in the south of the country to beware of heavy to very heavy rains and possible flash flooding and overflows from Dec. 3-5.
Climate Change
Malaysia and Thailand brace for second wave of heavy rain and possible flooding
Authorities say these have been the worst floods in decades, resulting in the death of at least 27 people across the two countries.
Malaysia and Thailand are facing a second wave of heavy rain and potential flooding this week, authorities said Monday following days of torrential rain that caused massive flooding in northern Malaysia and southern Thailand.
Authorities say these have been the worst floods in decades, resulting in the death of at least 27 people across the two countries.
Malaysia alone was forced to evacuate over 150,000 people on Sunday and rivers burst their banks and water levels steadily increased.
By Monday, authorities said the immediate situation had improved in some areas and water levels had eased but weather experts warned that more rain and possible floods were forecast again for Wednesday.
The northeastern state of Kelantan, which has been the worst hit, was also expected to face a fresh deluge from Wednesday, December 4.
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