Primary Focus: Himalayan and Indian Subcontinent Regions
Himalayas (India/Nepal)
A high-altitude “White-Out” continues to isolate several districts. The Atal Tunnel remains closed for the second day as accumulation exceeded 60cm. In Joshimath, municipal teams are on high alert; sub-zero temperatures (-8°C) are causing “ice-wedging” in the soil, with residents reporting fresh structural groans in the Sunil and Manohar Baghwards.
Andes (South America)
A glacial outburst flood (GLOF) watch has been issued for the Cajón del Maipo region in Chile after unseasonal heat triggered rapid melt, threatening downstream power infrastructure.
Alps (Europe)
Authorities in the French and Swiss Alps have raised the avalanche risk to Level 4 (High) following a heavy snow dump followed by a warm wind (Föhn), making the snowpack extremely unstable for holiday skiers.
Major Disasters in Other Areas Globally
Philippines (Tropical Storm Kala)
The storm is currently churning in the Philippine Sea, moving West-Northwest. PAGASA has raised Signal No. 2 in Bicol and Eastern Visayas. Meteorologists warn of “Christmas Floods” as the slow-moving system is expected to dump over 200mm of rain in 24 hours.
Karnataka, India (Highway Fire Tragedy)
A horrific accident occurred early this morning on NH-48 near Chitradurga. A container truck collided with a luxury sleeper bus, causing the bus to erupt in flames. Six people have been charred to death, including a five-year-old child. Negligence and high speed are cited as the primary causes.
Ukraine (Odesa Barrage)
Overnight drone and missile strikes have targeted the Odesa region, causing major fires in civilian residential zones and port infrastructure. Emergency services are still battling blazes in freezing temperatures.
DRR & CCA Legislative & Policy Initiatives
CAG Report on Disaster Management
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India released a performance audit (Report No. 8 of 2025) highlighting critical gaps in Karnataka’s urban flood mitigation and forest fire readiness, calling for a “Techno-Legal” overhaul of state response systems.
UNESCO Cultural Safeguarding
UNESCO has launched a new pilot in the Balkans to integrate Cultural Heritage into Disaster Post-Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNA), ensuring that historic monuments are protected during “Build Back Better” phases.
COP30 “Truth” Outcome
Following the Belém summit, the 2025 Emissions Gap Report confirms that the world is currently on track for a 2.6°C rise. The report warns that the 1.5°C “North Star” is fading, with 2025 virtually certain to be the second-hottest year on record.
Climate Justice Movement
Advocacy groups in Kuala Lumpur have issued a “Christmas Declaration,” condemning the lack of binding fossil fuel phase-outs in the final COP30 text and demanding immediate debt-for-climate swaps for the Global South.
Historical Disasters, Wars, and Battles on 25 December
1492 – The Santa Maria Wreck
Christopher Columbus’s flagship ran aground on a reef off Haiti. This historical “logistics disaster” reminds us that even with the best technology of the day, nature’s barriers (reefs and shoals) remain absolute.
1932 – Gansu Earthquake (China)
A massive magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Gansu province, killing nearly 300 people and causing widespread landslides in the loess soil—a reminder of how geological soil-type can multiply a disaster’s impact.
1974 – Cyclone Tracy (Australia)
On Christmas Day, this Category 4 storm leveled Darwin, killing 71 people. It led to the most stringent building codes in the world, proving that disasters can force a nation to re-engineer its survival.
The Bold Lesson of History
As to what past events, disasters of the day and our ongoing initiatives tell us, warn us: The 1974 leveling of Darwin by Cyclone Tracy and today’s tragic bus fire in Chitradurga tell us that our safety is only as strong as the “Code” we live by—be it a building code or a road safety code. Our ongoing initiatives tell us we have the “Resilience Pays” data and the “GAR 2025” roadmap, but the 2.6°C trajectory and the 300 lives lost in the 1932 Gansu quake warn us that nature does not respect the holidays. If we ignore the “Silent Sinking” in Joshimath or the “Emissions Gap” in our policy, we are not celebrating a season of peace; we are merely resting in the eye of a storm that we ourselves have built.
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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