9 out of every 10 days witness severe weather in India, 3,220 dead

Changing weather patterns in India are now becoming a serious threat to human life. According to the "Climate India 2026" report by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth, severe weather events were recorded on 251 out of 273 days, i.e., approximately 92 per cent of days, across various parts of the country between January and September 2026. This means that for every ten days, some part of the country remained affected by bad weather for nine days.

According to the report, 3,220 people have lost their lives due to these natural disasters. Additionally, 47,244 animals died, while 1,28,334 houses were destroyed. There has been a heavy impact on agriculture, with approximately 4.25 million hectares of crops damaged. Looking at state-wise details, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest casualties with 811 deaths and 6.9 lakh hectares of crops affected. In Maharashtra, 286 people died and 2.83 lakh hectares of crops were damaged, while Bihar saw 245 deaths and 2.3 lakh hectares of crops affected.

The report identifies Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh as the most affected states, where severe weather events occurred on approximately 64% of the days between January and September. Regionally, bad weather was observed for 235 days in Northwest India and 218 days in East and Northeast India. According to an analysis of five years from 2022 to 2026, a total of 16,303 people died and 20.6 million hectares of crops were damaged during this period.

Amidst this grave situation, India will present its demands at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) to be held in Antalya, Turkey, from November 9 to 20. Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav stated during a press conference on Tuesday that 'Climate Finance' will be a top priority for India. India demands that developed countries fulfil their financial obligations and that this assistance be predictable, primarily public, and at concessional rates, so that the debt burden on developing countries does not increase.

Minister Yadav stated that India will demand technology transfer from developed countries and advocate for voluntary participation in carbon markets. India will oppose any conditions that impose emission reduction targets on developing countries from above. Meanwhile, 1,400 people died in floods in Nepal on August 26, which will lead to discussions on the functioning of the 'Loss and Damage Fund'. Nepal requires 4.7 billion dollars for reconstruction, against which only 21.6 million dollars have been allocated by the fund.

On the other hand, according to the UN's 2026 Adaptation Gap Report, poor countries need 305 billion dollars annually to adapt to climate change, but the assistance provided by developed countries in 2024 remained at 28.2 billion dollars, which is far below the requirement.

COP31 is a United Nations summit where representatives from approximately 198 countries gather to discuss plans for the next phase of climate change.