A total of 1,224 persons lost their lives to natural disasters such as floods and cyclones in the first four months of the current financial year, according to data shared by the ministry of home affairs today.
The highest number of deaths was reported by Bihar at 502, followed by 97 in Madhya Pradesh and 94 in Gujarat. Himachal Pradesh, which saw one of its worst episodes of landslides and floods last month, was at No.4, with 88 deaths.
Sharing the data, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, also said that hydro-meteorological disasters also claimed the lives of over 25,558 cattle and destroyed over 61,000 houses and huts.
The term “hydro-meteorological” -- from “hydro”, meaning water, and “meteorological”, referring to weather -- is used to refer to disasters caused by the impact of weather and water-related elements -- such as floods, rains, heat and cyclones.
In contrast to the above, Uttar Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were the least affected.
Mr Rai said that various steps have been taken to minimize the damage caused by natural disasters in the country. The Minister informed the Upper House that the Centre has already established an early warning system which has significantly enhanced the accuracy of weather forecasts.
He also mentioned that the number of casualties during natural calamities has been reduced due to the steps being taken by the Centre and State governments in disaster management practices, preparedness, prevention, and response mechanism.
India, like most countries across the world, has seen an increase in the number of adverse weather events in recent years, apparently due to the triggering effects of climate change.
This year, adverse weather events have also been caused by the impact of El Nino, a phenomenon under which a band of warm ocean water is developed in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific. The phenomenon is linked with erratic monsoon over the Indian subcontinent.
| State | Human lives lost (No.) | Cattle lost (No.) | Houses/huts damaged (No.) | Crops area affected (in ha.) |
| Bihar | 502 | -- | -- | -- |
| Madhya Pradesh | 97 | 246 | 1169 | -- |
| Gujarat | 94 | 4654 | 20541 | 1,33,129 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 88 | 2914 | 6208 | -- |
| Karnataka | 78 | 539 | 4910 | 10,396 |
| Maharashtra | 66 | 119 | 210 | -- |
| Punjab | 38 | 10444 | 1142 | 25,530 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 36 | -- | -- | -- |
| Assam | 36 | 1513 | 2729 | 28,386 |
| Haryana | 32 | 2958 | 4183 | 2,06,990 |
| Rajasthan | 32 | 997 | 6493 | -- |
| Uttarakhand | 29 | 441 | 835 | -- |
| Chhattisgarh | 28 | 130 | 525 | -- |
| Kerala | 21 | -- | 1945 | -- |
| Tripura | 13 | -- | 6024 | -- |
| Meghalaya | 07 | 27 | 1876 | 82 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 5 | 14 | 55 | 1.54 |
| Sikkim | 05 | 185 | 460 | 138 |
| Nagaland | 04 | 01 | 1322 | 24 |
| Delhi | 04 | 10 | 09 | -- |
| Uttar Pradesh | 03 | 358 | 105 | -- |
| Dadar & Nagar Haveli | 03 | -- | -- | -- |
| J & K | 02 | -- | 10 | -- |
| Puducherry | 01 | -- | 10 | -- |
| Goa | -- | -- | 214 | -- |
| Mizoram | -- | -- | 03 | -- |
| Odisha | -- | 08 | 158 | -- |
| Total | 1,224 | 25,558 | 61,136 | 4,04,676.54 |