Struck by natural disasters, let’s course-correct
Cyclones are not new to Asia. The periodic and systemic manner in which they strike usually portrays a pattern that exemplifies extreme weather. Cyclone Haima is the latest in a series of extreme weather scenarios that drastically showcases the problem of climate change. Rise in temperature in one part of the globe and drought in another, usually represent an anomaly of changing climactic patterns. Cyclone Haima has already claimed 13 lives in the Philippines and 50,000 people have been evacuated in China. The science on cyclones (also called as typhoon and hurricane) is clear: Cyclones are created when depression is caused over the ocean. Haima, also called lawin in the Phillipines, has reached parts of southeastern China with a force that is said to be gauged at the strength of Category One storm. More than 90,000 people were evacuated in the Philippines, according to figures by its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. As the movement of cyclones is often unpredictable, it can lead to further loss of lives and property in southeastern China. Capricious weather conditions have tended to be detrimental in the Indian Ocean area and have reverberations for Indian preparedness. Many Indian States bordering the Indian Ocean region are vulnerable to sustained attacks of nature. In the recent past, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have had to bear the brunt of such tragedies.
Cyclone Haima has already shut down cities and districts. Apart from cities in the Philippines, Hong Kong was forced to suspend commercial and civic operations. Hundreds of flights were cancelled or re-routed due to extreme weather conditions. Science enthusiasts and environmental activists are familiar with the saying that, if a butterfly flaps its wing in one part of the globe, there may be a cyclone in another. This is not to suggest a direct causation between the butterfly's involuntary act and the cyclone, but merely to highlight the lethal correlation between the two. The earth's eco-system is fragile and easily susceptible to any anthropogenic interference. Frequency of cyclone is one such climate pattern must ring alarm bells in policy and Government circles. Haima did not only cause ceaseless rain in the region, but also flooding and landslides.
The latter is attributed to have been the primary reason for most deaths in the Philippines. Shanwei Disaster Relief Office in China's eastern Guangdong Province said that the gales and rain from Haima has caused ‘59 dike ruptures, damaged 21 dam gates and 179 water facilities'. While damage to property can be gauged, damage to the ecosystem is much harder to evaluate. One important way for policymakers and Governments would be to monetise all damage, natural and civic. Perhaps this will give them some insight into the urgency of what the future may look like. With the increase in frequency of cyclones, climate change raises socio-economic and environmental challenges that ought to be addressed.