Disaster Update: December 11, 2025
Primary Focus: Himalayan and Indian Subcontinent Regions
The subcontinent is focused on the devastating aftermath of the Cyclone Ditwah catastrophe, with a deepening Cold Wave and a political incidence regarding climate risk data.
Sri Lanka Catastrophe: Climate Risk & Recovery
The massive recovery operation following Cyclone Ditwah remains the most critical incidence in the region.
The death toll has tragically exceeded 635 fatalities, with 192 people still reported missing.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) warns that the cyclone‘s physical impacts are compounded by deep pre-existing socioeconomic fragilities, with over half of the people in flooded areas facing multiple vulnerabilities before the storm hit.
The rebuilding costs are poised to severely strain the nation’s fragile economic recovery, demanding a restructuring of government spending and international support.
Scientific Incidence
A major new analysis by the World Weather Attribution consortium today explicitly links the severity of the recent South Asian storms to climate change.
The study found that the intensity of five-day heavy rain episodes in the region affected by Cyclone Senyar increased by 28–160% due to human-caused global heating, making these disasters an “alarming new reality.”
Indian Government and Climate Risk Data
The government informed Parliament today that while India ranks ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026 published by Germanwatch (with nearly 430 extreme weather events killing over 80,000 people over three decades), the government “does not recognise any external ranking as a basis for domestic policy formulation.”
The Ministry stated that India’s disaster management is guided by the National Policy on Disaster Management, which covers prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and financial arrangements for a “safe and disaster resilient India.”
Himalayan Chronic Crisis (GLOF Threat & Debris)
GLOF Risk
The threat of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) is highlighted as a major unknown but massive dimension of risk across the thousands of glacial lakes in the Himalayas, with no clear prediction for when or where the next catastrophic event will materialize.
Clean-up Failure
Experts continue to warn that the massive mounds of debris left behind by the August 5 Dharali flash flood in Uttarkashi are “nearly impossible” to clear completely. The debris has hardened into a “cement-like” mass, which, if disturbed, could trigger fresh stream blockages, secondary debris flows, and downstream pollution, underscoring the compounding, long-lasting nature of Himalayan disasters.
Cold Wave Health Threat
Cold Wave Conditions are very likely to continue to prevail over Central and adjoining East & Northern Peninsular India until December 14, posing an ongoing health risk to vulnerable populations in the early winter season.
Major Disasters in Other Areas Globally
Global Flooding Incidences
Major flood alerts are active today in Iraq, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, emphasizing the widespread impact of global extreme weather events.
Tropical Cyclones
The 2025 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, including Ditwah and Senyar, remains the costliest on record globally, with over 1,750 confirmed deaths across Asia.
DRR & CCA Conferences, Workshops, and Reports
Climate Science Mandate
The new analysis by the World Weather Attribution consortium serves as a critical mandate for policymakers, explicitly linking human-caused global heating to the increased intensity of rainfall in South Asia and urging accelerated climate action to manage the “alarming new reality.”
Policy and Data
The debate in Parliament today underscores the ongoing tension between using globally recognized, data-driven climate risk assessments (like the CRI) and national policy formulation for disaster management.
Resilience Focus
The UNDP’s detailed vulnerability assessment of Cyclone Ditwah, integrating satellite data with Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI), sets a new standard for identifying communities where disaster impacts intersect with chronic socioeconomic fragilities, enabling more targeted recovery.
Ongoing Climate Change Concerns and Incidences
Warming and Cyclones
The scientific consensus is clear: global heating supercharged the downpours from cyclones like Ditwah and Senyar. Additionally, non-climate factors like deforestation and the loss of wetlands amplified the disaster by increasing the risk of deadly landslides.
Compounded Vulnerability
The fact that over half of the affected population in Sri Lanka was already living in vulnerable households before Cyclone Ditwah hit highlights the primary global incidence: climate disasters disproportionately affect the poorest, pushing them deeper into socioeconomic distress.
Air Pollution and Health
Cold wave conditions, combined with domestic heating (and associated Black Carbon emissions) and general pollution, continue to pose an ongoing public health hazard across the northern subcontinent.
Historical Disasters, Wars, and Other Incidencees on 10 December
1941 – Global War Declaration
Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, prompting an immediate U.S. declaration of war in return. This action officially pulled the U.S. into the European theatre of World War II.
1936 – Abdication Crisis
Britain’s King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, a major constitutional and political crisis in the United Kingdom.
1997 – Kyoto Protocol Adopted
Over 150 nations at the Kyoto conference agreed to the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions. This marks a pivotal, early milestone in global climate action.
1845 – First Anglo-Sikh War Begins
The First Anglo-Sikh War in India began as Sikh forces attacked British colonial forces, leading to the eventual annexation of part of the Punjab region by the British.
1946 – UNICEF Established
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) was founded to provide aid to children in countries devastated by World War II.
These disasters echo today, as climate-amplified events blur the lines between natural and human-made calamities.
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.
आज का दिन हैं 11 दिसम्बर 2025, और हम लाये हैं आज घटित आपदाओं का लेखा-जोखा : Get to know about disasters across the globe on this day, particularly in the mountainous regions, besides updating yourself on historical disaster related facts and other related incidences.
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