Malaysia faces potential transformation into a transit point for terrorism activities, as IS-affiliated individuals from Bangladesh are reportedly using social media to recruit migrant workers in the country.
The monsoon season in South Asia, a crucial period for replenishing water supplies, has become a breeding ground for widespread death and destruction. Over the past two weeks, flash floods and landslides in India's northern Himalayan regions have claimed at least 69 lives and injured 110 others, according to the state's revenue department. The affected areas include the state of Himachal Pradesh, where several routes have been disrupted by swollen rivers.
Landslides and flash floods were also reported in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Manipur. The Brahmaputra river, another major Himalayan river, overflowed due to the heavy rains, affecting nearby towns and villages in India's state of Assam. The mighty Beas river, which starts from the region's glacial peaks, has been swollen by lashing rain.
These tragic events are a stark reminder of the impact of global warming on monsoon patterns in South Asia. Rising temperatures and above-normal rainfall are forecasted across the region, particularly in the Himalayan Hindu Kush region. This combination increases the intensity and variability of the monsoon season, elevating the risk of water-induced disasters such as flash floods, landslides, and debris flows.
Last month, India's financial capital Mumbai was hit by monsoon rain that began two weeks earlier than usual, making it the earliest monsoon rain for nearly a quarter of a century, according to weather forecasters. The meteorological department has issued a fresh alert for "heavy to very heavy rainfall" in Himachal Pradesh and neighboring Uttarakhand, two Himalayan states in India that are currently under a fresh alert for heavy rainfall.
Studies indicate upward trends in temperature and precipitation linked to monsoon circulation changes under global warming, with abrupt shifts around 1997. This points to altered monsoon behavior and its continued intensification. The 2024 monsoon season brought extreme rainfall and widespread flooding across Nepal, India, and Pakistan, severely affecting societies and ecosystems. The World Meteorological Organization highlights these events as part of a broader trend of Asia warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, intensifying extreme weather occurrence.
In conclusion, global warming is intensifying South Asia’s monsoon season, making it hotter and wetter, thus significantly escalating the frequency and severity of flash floods, landslides, and related disasters. These changes threaten agriculture, food security, livelihoods, and infrastructure in a region home to around two billion people. Efforts to implement better early warning systems, climate adaptation, and sustainable land management are critical to reducing the toll of these worsening monsoon-related disasters.
- Despite the ongoing tragedies caused by flash floods and landslides in several South Asian states, such as Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Manipur, the general news is dominated by other events, like politics, war-and-conflicts, general-news, crime-and-justice, and sports, such as mixed-martial-arts.
- Amidst the widespread devastation caused by the monsoon season, it's worth noting that India's financial capital, Mumbai, was hit by early monsoon rain last month, marking one of the earliest monsoons in nearly a quarter of a century.
- As the 2024 monsoon season demonstrated with its extreme rainfall and widespread flooding across Nepal, India, and Pakistan, the sports world might not be the only arena where intensified competition is expected – the challenges posed by a hotter and wetter monsoon season in South Asia are a testament to this trend.
