25 lakh displaced, India among worst hit by climate change

Karam Prakash

New Delhi, June 4

India witnessed the fourth-highest climate-induced internal migration in the world last year. As many as 25 lakh people in the country were internally displaced due to climate crisis in 2022.

Globally, climate crisis was responsible for 54 per cent of the total internal displacement. It was, however, responsible for 100 per cent displacement in India.

“In India, the total internal displacement was 25 lakh in 2022. All of this was only because of climate crisis,” according to the 2023 State of India’s Environment in Figures report released on Sunday. The report was released by the green think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

The report highlighted that the country experienced extreme weather events on 314 days in 2022. The northwest region which includes Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi recorded the highest extreme weather events in a year. The region reported extreme events on 237 days.

Uttar Pradesh was the worst hit, with extreme events on 127 days. In the central region, which recorded such events on 218 days, Madhya Pradesh was the worst hit with extreme events on 144 days.

The report highlighted that the extreme weather events claimed 3,026 lives and damaged 1.96 million hectares of crop area. Of 3,026 deaths in 2022, 2,431 died from extreme events in the monsoon season.

The central region recorded the highest number of 938 deaths. In the northwest region, 878 deaths were reported.

Meanwhile, 84 extreme weather events have already been witnessed in just four months this year. Hailstorms remained the most frequently occurring extreme event during the period and affected people across all states.