“At 7:18 pm on 16 June 2013, Ram Singh heard the loudest crack in his life. It was the deafening roar of a disaster:“I felt as if the sky had been torn asunder. Within seconds, a massive wall of water gushed towards Kedarnath Temple. Huge boulders were flung into the sky like in an explosion. In less than 15 minutes, thousands of people were swept away.” Singh was on a pilgrimage with 17 people from his hometown of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Here turned home with just five of them. “After our visit to the temple, my son wanted to see the hills, so I took him. My wife followed us,” he says. “That’s how we survived. I have no clue where the rest of my family is.”
– Ram Singh and his wife (2013)
The 2024 World Risk Index assesses countries’ disaster risk based on exposure to natural hazards and the vulnerability of their populations. India ranks as the third most at-risk country in the world. The index considers vulnerability (e.g., infrastructure, income), coping capacities (e.g., healthcare, government support), and climate change adaptation.¹
Increasing Climate Extremes
According to a recent study, more than 85% of districts in India are affected by extreme weather events. Additionally, 45% of regions have experienced changes in climatic conditions—areas that were previously less vulnerable to certain extreme weather events are now affected more frequently. By 2036, more than 1.47 billion people could be exposed to extreme climate conditions, with serious impacts on agriculture, living conditions, and infrastructure.² ³