Asia, the region most hit by natural disasters in 2014
Asia is the most disaster-prone region in the world. In 2014, over 40% of the world’s natural disasters were reported in this region. It is also where most people have been killed, the greatest losses have been incurred, and the most frequent disasters are clustered. Within Asia, the HKH region stands out for its water-related disasters and the human toll these take, especially flooding. Many of the 210 million people living in the Hindu Kush Himalayas and the 1.3 billion people living downstream are exposed to devastating floods every year. Water related hazards and risks include landslides, debris flows and flash floods in the uplands and riverine and coastal flooding in the lowlands. Across the HKH region, there has been a steady increase in the number of flood disasters reported each decade. This last decade saw the highest number of reported flood disasters with the greatest spatial coverage on record. These included the devastating floods in Pakistan in 2010 and the Uttarakhand flood in India in 2013. The 2010 Pakistan floods killed some 2,000 people and submerged about a fifth of Pakistan’s land, affecting the lives of 20 million people. Some 5,900 camps sprung up across the country to host the more than 220,000 people displaced by the disaster. This disaster is considered one of the biggest river disasters in recent history. In general, the economic impact of flood disasters within the HKH region is highest in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, while loss or injury to human life is highest in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan and India. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by ICIMOD, CICERO or GRID-Arendal.
Year: 2015
From collection: The Himalayan Climate and Water Atlas
Cartographer: Riccardo Pravettoni