20 September 2022.
Introduction:
The recently released joint report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) raised concerns regarding long southwest monsoon causing large-scale displacement of masses in South Asia.
Highlights:
- The report found that southwest monsoon is lasting longer than its season and overlapping with the northeast monsoon, causing more severe downpour, flooding and storms in South Asia.
- While the southwest monsoon reached the peninsular India on time, it had stayed beyond seasonal boundary of September.
- In 2021, it had lasted until October, overlapping with the northeast monsoon
- This report assessed the forced movement within a country boundary and displacement due to natural disasters during the period of 2010-21.
- It found that disasters displaced about 61.4 million people in south Asia during this period. of this, 58.6 million were displaced because of weather-related disasters.
- Floods and storms caused about 90 per cent of the total displacement.
- Floods caused the displacement of 37.4 million and storm, including major tropical cyclones, caused 21 million internal displacements.
- El Nino Southern Oscillation variation has played a major role in the increased instances of flooding and storms.
- Climate change is also causing prolonged and unpredictable monsoon seasons.
- In the overall Asia-Pacific region, about 225 million individuals were displaced during the 2010-2021 period.
- This means that nearly 19 million people were displaced because of disaster each year.
- This is more than 75 per cent of the total global figure on displacement.
- 95 per cent of all disaster displacements in Asia Pacific are caused by monsoon rains, floods and storms.
- The disaster displacement risks are mainly worsened by rapid urbanization, socioeconomic vulnerability and population growth in hazard-prone areas.
About IDMC
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) is an international non-governmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. It was established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council – a humanitarian NGO that works towards protecting rights of people who are displaced.