Floods

Bhutan releases Tala dam water after heavy Himalayan rains, worsening floods. West Bengal warns of sudden rises in Torsha, Sankosh, Jaldhaka rivers, impacting Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.

But beyond the immediate destruction, most prominently over Dehradun on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, new reports and expert commentary point to deeper systemic failures – in climate monitoring, disaster preparedness, and infrastructure planning – that are making the Himalayan state increasingly vulnerable.

In 2024, India experienced extreme weather on 322 days, leading to over 3 400 deaths. The first 90 days of 2025 alone saw 87 days of intense weather events – including floods and heat waves – underscoring an alarming upward trend in disasters.

In one part of the world, floods inundate entire cities. In another, droughts silently wither crops. Glaciers, which took centuries to form, are disappearing in decades. Groundwater, hidden and unseen, is being depleted faster than it can be replenished.

The crisis has exposed Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate-driven disasters, underlining a pressing need for international support

For Pakistan, the challenge now is twofold: to address the immediate humanitarian needs of thousands of displaced people, and to commit to the long-term infrastructure, environmental and policy changes needed to withstand the storms of a warming world.

Local residents who captured the dramatic video scenes on their mobile camera said the floodwaters surged without warning, leaving people little time to escape.

The union home minister, Amit Shah, on Sunday directed the formation of a multi-sectoral central team in view of the frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh.