Primary Focus: Himalayan and Indian Subcontinent Regions
The subcontinent is managing the ongoing humanitarian aftermath of recent cyclones and is under a fresh high alert for winter weather, with a major scientific study reinforcing the climate link to the Asian mega-floods.
Asian Mega-Floods Climate Link
The catastrophic floods that affected the region (Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand) are now definitively linked to climate change.
A major new analysis by the World Weather Attribution consortium found that the intensity of five-day heavy rain episodes in the region affected by Cyclone Ditwah (Sri Lanka) increased by 28–160% due to human-caused global heating. In the Malacca Strait region (Indonesia/Malaysia), extreme rainfall increased by 9–50%. This confirms that the severity of the recent mega-floods was amplified by warming oceans.
The combined human toll from the recent Asia floods, including those in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Thailand, tragically exceeds 1,600 fatalities, with recovery efforts ongoing amid destroyed homes and infrastructure.
Himalayan Winter Weather Alert
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a high alert for renewed winter weather activity in the Himalayan region and the northern plains.
A fresh, though feeble, Western Disturbance (WD) is likely to approach the Western Himalayas today, December 13. This system could bring light rain and snowfall to the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, raising the risk of minor disruptions and localized landslides due to the unstable, post-monsoon geology.
The main disaster incidence in the plains is the combination of cold and low visibility.
Dense fog conditions are likely to prevail in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh until December 16, severely impacting air, rail, and road traffic safety and contributing to the Cold Wave conditions persisting across Central India (Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana), which poses a health risk to vulnerable populations.
Major Disasters in Other Areas Globally
North America Floods
The historic flooding disaster in Washington State, USA, continues. Days of torrential rainfall from an atmospheric river have washed away homes, damaged bridges, and caused landslides. A state of emergency remains in effect, and another storm system is expected to bring more rain starting Sunday (December 15).
Iran Wildfires
A major wildfire emergency continues in Iran’s northern Hyrcanian forest region (a UNESCO World Heritage site), highlighting the global increase in catastrophic fire events.
Disease Outbreak
The Marburg Disease Outbreak in Ethiopia remains a serious public health disaster requiring sustained international attention.
DRR & CCA Conferences, Workshops, and Reports
Scientific Mandate
The new analysis by the World Weather Attribution consortium today is a critical scientific mandate, explicitly linking human-caused global heating to the increased intensity of rainfall in South Asia and urging accelerated climate action to manage this “alarming new reality.”
Resilient Recovery
The article “Flood management collaboration: Rio Grande do Sul looks to the future with resilient recovery”highlights global efforts to embed “Build Back Better” principles into reconstruction following major flood disasters.
DRR Inclusion
The Africa Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (AWGDRR) continues to focus on integrating inclusive early warning systems that address the needs of all vulnerable groups.
Ongoing Climate Change Concerns and Incidences
Warming and Cyclones
The scientific consensus is clear: global heating supercharged the downpours from recent cyclones like Ditwah and Senyar, making heavy rainfall events significantly more intense than they would have been without climate change.
Compound Vulnerability
The devastating combination of extreme rainfall and human-created vulnerabilities (deforestation, poor drainage) is cited as the primary reason why floods in Asia turned into humanitarian catastrophes.
Methane Risk
The UN has warned that the world is failing to curb methane emissions, labeling it the “new systemic risk” that exacerbates global warming and intensifies all climate-related disasters.
Historical Disasters, Wars, and Other Incidencees on 10 December
1939 – Battle of the River Plate
The first major naval battle of World War II was fought off the coast of Uruguay between the British Royal Navy and the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee.
2003 – Capture of Saddam Hussein
US forces captured former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit, a pivotal moment in the Iraq War.
1978 – Bhopal Gas Tragedy Aftermath
On this day, the death toll from the initial gas leak in Bhopal continued to rise in the days following the event, underscoring the escalating human cost of the world’s worst industrial disaster.
1862 – Battle of Fredericksburg
The Union Army suffered a massive and demoralizing defeat against the Confederate forces in Fredericksburg, Virginia, marking one of the most one-sided battles of the American Civil War.
The deepening humanitarian crisis from the Asia mega-floods, coupled with the historic flooding in the US, tells us that climate change is no longer a distant threat but an amplifying force driving unprecedented disasters globally.
Our ongoing scientific initiatives and global recovery efforts warn us that a resilient future requires immediate action to reduce global methane and fossil fuel emissions and a fundamental shift towards risk-informed governance and infrastructure planning.
Stay vigilant; history whispers warnings.
यह हमारा एक छोटा सा प्रयास हैं, आपको हर दिन आपदा से जुड़ी नवीनतम जानकारियाँ प्रदान करने का –
विशेष रूप से वह आपदायें जो हिमालय व अन्य पहाड़ी क्षेत्रों में घटित हों.
हमारा यह प्रयास आपको कैसा लगा और कैसे हम इसे बेहतर व उपयोगी बना सकते हैं ?
हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों का हमें इंतजार रहेगा.
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