VIZAG: With over 8,700 deaths, 40 million people displaced, and economic losses exceeding $550 billion, climate change significantly disrupted the global water cycle last year, according to the 2024 Global Water Monitor Report. The report detailed how rising temperatures, extreme weather patterns, and climate-induced phenomena caused widespread devastation across continents.
The report identified flash floods, river floods, droughts, tropical cyclones, and landslides as the most damaging water-related disasters of 2024. Events such as flooding in Afghanistan-Pakistan, severe flooding in East Africa, Rio Grande do Sul floods in Brazil, and the Amazon basin’s drought and bushfires were directly attributed to climate change impacts.
It included Wayanad ‘s catastrophic landslides triggered by relentless monsoon rains between July 29 and 30. Heavy rainfall of up to 409 mm in 24 hours caused massive slope collapses in the fragile Western Ghats. It resulted in over 375 fatalities, 250 people reported missing, and the displacement of more than 10,000 residents.
The Kerala government estimated damages at $140 million, with over 4,500 houses destroyed. The landslides also devastated coffee and spice plantations, affecting thousands of livelihoods. The report highlighted that anthropogenic factors, such as deforestation, unregulated construction, and quarrying, exacerbated the disaster.
Last year recorded the highest average land temperatures globally, with unprecedented frequency of record-warm months since 1979. Thirty-four nations reported record-high annual maximum temperatures, while annual minimum temperatures also increased, particularly in tropical regions.
The study highlighted a global decline in frost days, with 13 countries, including 10 in Europe and India, experiencing an unusual reduction in frost days.
In terms of precipitation, the report revealed that record-breaking monthly rainfall totals in 2024 were 27% higher than at the beginning of the century. Extreme rainfall events increased by 52%, and the number of record maximum rainfall events rose by 4% per decade. New precipitation records were set in West Africa, Europe and Asia. However, extremely dry months also became more common, with a 38% increase in record-dry months in 2024. South America and Central Africa experienced unusually low humidity levels, while the Arabian Sea coast recorded the highest relative air humidity in Asia since 2018.
The report underscored a continuing trend of declining lake and reservoir water storage globally, marking the fifth consecutive year of reductions. South America recorded unprecedented lows, while Africa experienced record-high water levels.
Terrestrial water storage, which includes ground and surface water along with ice and snow, declined in most arid regions. However, significant increases were observed in western, central, and eastern Africa.
More extreme weather events could happen this year. Regions such as northern South America, south Africa, north Africa, Central Asia, parts of North America, and West Australia are likely to experience intense droughts. In contrast, areas including the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Europe, and most of Asia face heightened risks of flooding.