New Delhi: The State of India’s Environment 2024 Report was released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).
The report was released by Sunita Narain, Director General, CSE, Nitin Desai, Economist and Former UN Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, T N Ninan, Former Editor and Chairperson, Business Standard, Richard Mahapatra, Managing Editor, Down To Earth and Souparno Banerjee, Senior Director, CSE.
The report revealed that India witnessed extreme weather conditions on 318 of the 365 days in 2023, affecting every state and Union territory.
The extreme weather conditions claimed 3,287 human lives, affected 2.21 million hectare (ha) of crop area, damaged 86,432 houses and caused 124,813 animal deaths, the report stated.
Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest number of extreme weather events, with 149 days, followed by Madhya Pradesh with 141 days. Kerala and Uttar Pradesh were next with 119 days each.
The types of extreme weather varied, with heavy rains, floods, and landslides occurring on 208 days, and lightning and storms on 202 days. Heatwaves scorched the land on 49 days, while cold waves chilled it for 29 days, and cloudbursts brought sudden devastation on nine occasions.
The winter months of January and February experienced extreme weather on 28 of the 59 days, affecting 21 states and Union Territories. Punjab and Haryana were most affected, with extreme weather reported on 15 days each. These two months were also warmer than the average temperatures recorded between 1981-2010, with February’s daytime and mean temperatures being 1.86°C and 1.36°C warmer, respectively. Additionally, the period was drier than usual, exacerbating the impact of the extreme conditions, the report further stated.
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