UNISDR India, 3rd most disaster affected nation in 2015
India has been ranked third among the top five most disaster-hit countries in 2015, the hottest year on record, having suffered more than 2,800 deaths and over Rs 22,000 crore economic damage in the last year alone. Worldwide, the economic losses have been estimated at $66.5 billion and over 22,700 people dead.
After China and the US, which have been hit by 26 and 22 disasters respectively last year, India is the most affected country having suffered 19 disasters in 2015, according to a study released by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
According to the UNISDR, 2015 contributed to a major loss of life from heatwaves, a combined total of 7,346 deaths, including France (3,275), India (2,248) and Pakistan (1,229). At least 1.2 million people were affected by extreme temperatures.
The report titled 'The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction' said the five countries hit by the highest number of disasters are the US, China, India, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
India had 19 events of natural disasters, including floods , droughts and heatwaves, in 2015 and an economic loss to the state exchequer of more than $3 billion from these disasters. This number was only exceeded by China with 26 natural disasters and the US with 22 natural disasters last year. After India, cyclone-prone Philippines (15) and Indonesia (11) were the fourth and fifth most natural disasters-affected countries in the world.
2015 had smashed all records and was declared by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the hottest year since reporting began 136 years back.
The report highlights data gaps, noting that economic losses from weather-related disasters are much higher than the recorded figure of 1.89 trillion dollars, which accounts for 71 per cent of all losses attributed to natural hazards over the twenty-year period.
"In the long term, an agreement in Paris at COP21 on reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be a significant contribution to reducing damage and loss from disasters which are partly driven by a warming globe and rising sea levels
About UNISDR
Established in 1999, UNISDR act as a dedicated secretariat to facilitate the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). It is an organisational unit of the UN Secretariat and is led by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG).