South Asia has recently experienced severe weather, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. The region has faced widespread destruction, with floods devastating Afghanistan and landslides wreaking havoc in Nepal.

Kathmandu

Severe weather has recently caused widespread devastation in South Asia, leading to the deaths of dozens of people. In Afghanistan's Bamyan province, a flood swept through the Abdana village, resulting in eight fatalities within the Alizadeh family. The high waters, reaching up to 10 meters, destroyed homes, shops, and vital infrastructure, leaving survivors in urgent need of shelter and clean drinking water.

In Nepal, landslides triggered by heavy rains have killed at least nine people. Over the past two weeks, landslides, floods, and lightning have claimed more than 35 lives across the Himalayan region. In India, the capital New Delhi experienced an extraordinary rainfall, disrupting the city's infrastructure, collapsing an airport building roof, and causing significant traffic standstills.

Sri Lanka is also facing ongoing weather challenges, with authorities preparing for more rainfall after a brief respite from monsoon showers. Discussions are ongoing in Colombo to address the recent flooding and to develop effective solutions. Environmental scientists emphasize the need for better disaster management practices and the implementation of international treaties to mitigate the impact of these extreme weather events.



Severe flooding in Afghanistan and landslides in Nepal

Naimat Alizadeh is struggling to cope. Five days ago, floods swept through the Abdana village here in the Bamyan province of Afghanistan, killing eight members of his family. He says it was the first such severe flooding they had seen. There was complete chaos. Children were crying and women screaming with fear. The water was about 10 meters high. I tried to pull out some of those stuck, but couldn't, and the floods took them. Most houses and shops in the remote village were destroyed, while the raging water swept away cars and mechanical equipment. This school was damaged, and its container with all school supplies was washed away. The first thing we need is shelter. We need clean drinking water, then financial support, because we have lost whatever we have worked for and earned all of our lives. In Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides, killing at least nine people on Saturday. Landslides, floods, and lightning have killed more than 35 people across the Himalayan kingdom in the last two weeks. Across the border, the Indian capital, New Delhi, had more than 250 times its usual rainfall on Friday, causing disruptions. In Delhi, between 2.30 and 5.30 a.m. today, the maximum rainfall recorded has been 228 millimeters from our Safdarjung Observatory, and other observatories of Delhi have also reported extremely heavy rainfall. Traffic came to a standstill in the city of 20 million people as the skies opened up. The downpour caused an airport building roof to collapse, disrupted flights, closed a metro station, and blocked roads. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, is expecting more rains after a short break from monsoon showers that caused upheaval around the country. Authorities have met to discuss the flooding in Colombo and find solutions. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common, and this part of the world is no different. But some scientists say insufficient monitoring of disaster management practices is making things worse. Ajanta Perera is an environment scientist. She told Al Jazeera international treaties must be better managed. Agreements are fine, but it needs to be converted to action plans. It needs to be brought into strategies. Strategies has to be monitored both locally, regionally, and globally. Those details may be too much for Ali Zarda and his surviving family, whose immediate priority is to find food, shelter, and clothing. Minal Fernandez, Al Jazeera, Colombo.

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