Nepal glacier collapse: death toll past 900, over 4000 missing

Rescuers in Nepal and China are working against time to find thousands of people missing after a glacier collapse led to ​a catastrophic mudslide across the Himalayas.

Authorities said the death toll rose past 900, with more than 4,000 ‌people missing on both sides of the Nepal-China border after a torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris swept through mountain valleys and rivers on Wednesday, causing widespread devastation, Reuters reported. 

Hundreds of graves have been dug in Devghat forest, nearly 200 km from the disaster zone. A detailed burial-record system has been set up to aid future DNA tracking, the newswire reported. 

Those missing include people from India, the US,  Australia,  Britain, Canada and others. The US Geological Survey said what was initially reported ‌as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake was a seismic shock generated by glacial rock and ice collapsing and the flow of debris. “No earthquake had occurred.”

UN climate chief Simon Stiell said “a warming climate, driven by humanity burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, is making tragedies like this one, and so many others around the world, much more likely, frequent and severe, with vulnerable communities often hardest hit,” reported the Hindu. 

Around a 1000 rescued in MP, 12 states on flood alert 

Around a 1000 people have been rescued from flood in Chitrakoot in eastern Madhya Pradesh, NIE reported. The Mandakini River rose  nearly 13 metres above the danger mark following non-stop rain over the weekend that injndated homes, hotels, temples and dharamshalas on both sides of the Madhya Pradesh-Uttar Pradesh border. 

Heavy rain is expected across more than twelve states, with authorities urging residents to remain alert, reported DTE. Madhya Pradesh faces a flash-flood threat, in low-lying areas of eastern Madhya Pradesh, where several districts face a risk of sudden flooding. Anuppur, Chhatarpur, Damoh, Dindori, Jabalpur, Katni, Narsinghpur, Sagar, Sidhi, Singrauli and Umaria could experience waterlogging and rapid rises in water levels, particularly in low-lying areas.

Residents should avoid entering fast-moving water and should never attempt to cross flooded roads, bridges or streams during intense rainfall. Such conditions can become dangerous within minutes, particularly in rural and Delhi-NCR may witness cloudy skies and light rain, while temperatures could reach 34 degrees Celsius amid continued humid weather conditions. Strong winds, thunderstorms and lightning are likely across several southern, eastern and northeastern states, creating risks for people outdoors. Farmers are advised to ensure proper drainage, protect ready crops, secure livestock and avoid fieldwork during thunderstorms and lightning.

India’s monsoon weakens, IMD predicts below-normal rain for the next two weeks

India’s monsoon is weakening just when it should be at its most productive,  The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said below-normal rainfall is expected for at least the next two weeks — through September 2 — and the all-India deficit, already at 14% below the long-period average, will grow further as the monsoon trough stays pinned to the Himalayan foothills rather than sweeping across central India, reported HT.

The prediction was part of IMD’s extended range forecast dated August 20 and it now adds to growing worry over this year’s winter crop that has been sown over recent weeks.

Despite some weather systems developing, rainfall is expected to remain below normal across the country in both weeks of the forecast window, the agency said.

In southern India, weak monsoon has left farmers on both sides of the Cauvery struggling with dwindling water supplies. In Karnataka, farmers are worried about irrigation even as the State faces pressure to release water to Tamil Nadu, where large tracts of paddy fields remain barren. The competing demands have sharpened tensions between the two States, the Hindu reported. 

Rising heat and humidity could cause 4000 early deaths in Lucknow by 2050: Study 

Uttar Pradesh’s capital Lucknow is facing increasing humid heat, with rising temperatures and humidity combining to make conditions feel more intense and raise health risks, according to an analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), PTI reported. 

The analysis of daily weather data from 2015 to 2024 warned that if humid heat conditions continue to worsen, around 4,000 people could die annually in Lucknow from heat-related causes by 2050.

Former India Meteorological Department director general KJ Ramesh said global warming has led to rising temperatures as well as increasing humidity, particularly across the Indo-Gangetic plains.

“Lucknow is located in the heart of the Indo-Gangetic plains. The low elevation and basin-like geographical features of the region allow air to remain stagnant, retaining moisture,” he said, adding that high humidity further intensifies heat-related health risks.

According to the CEEW analysis, Lucknow experienced 289 days of hot and severely humid conditions between 2015 and 2024, when the maximum temperature reached at least 35 degrees Celsius and humidity was 60 per cent or higher.

The trend has become more pronounced in recent years. Lucknow recorded 123 humid heat days between 2015 and 2019, an average of 24.6 days a year, compared with 166 days between 2020 and 2024. The year 2020 recorded the highest number, with 45 such day

Indonesia wildfires damage nearly 95,000 hectares of land in July alone, minister says

Wildfires burned nearly 95,000 hectares across Indonesia in July, reported Reuters, almost doubling the area of the previous six months. The uptick is being fuelled by the strengthening El Niño event, which brings warm and dry conditions to south-east Asia and Australia. Fire authorities in Australia warned that almost every state and territory is “facing a heightened risk of bushfire”, said the Independent. The UK Met Office said the El Niño is set to be the “strongest in living memory”, reported BBC News.

France’s Destructive Heat Waves See Over 7,000 Excess Deaths

France has recorded more than 7,000 excess deaths in the two heatwaves in June and July, “as industry and public health services were hit by the country’s hottest month in more than a century”, Bloomberg reported, adding that at least 5,764 excess deaths were recorded from 17 June to 2 July, and a further 1,243 from 3-22 July.  France24 reported that nearly three-quarters of the excess deaths "concern people aged 75 and over", though they affected "all age groups from 45 and over." Reuters reported that July was the hottest month on record in France and one of the driest. It adds that “Europe as a whole has experienced more extreme warming, linked to human-induced climate change, than any other continent ​this year”.

Bloomberg reported that  rising ocean temperatures now have the potential to cause intense storms in Europe this year, according to new research from World Weather Attribution

China evacuates one million from homes as massive storm arrives

More than a million people were evacuated from Shanghai and other regions in eastern China as Typhoon Dolphin hit the city, said the  BBC News. The storm brought heavy rains and “winds as strong as 94 miles [151km] per hour”, reported the New York Times. 

According to Reuters the storm’s  “longevity and broad circulation” made it a “significant event” that broke rainfall records across the affected area. The newswire said that “scientists warn that typhoons have become more likely to affect east Asia as a result of climate change”.

The recent spate of typhoons has further disrupted economic activity, Bloomberg said the event had “shut down factories and ports [and] leading to power outages”, as well as forcing evacuations. Despite the rains, hydropower stations will “likely continue to prioritise water storage” over boosting hydropower output, China Energy Net, due to the below-average rainfall that is expected over the course of this year.