Since mid-November, superimposed tropical storms and intensifying monsoon systems have triggered catastrophic flooding and landslides in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Viet Nam.
UN teams across the region support government-led emergency operations with food, health, water and sanitation, medical deployments and early recovery assessments, as heavy rains continue and fears grow of a worsening crisis.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely and stay in close contact with national authorities“, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Thursday.
“The United Nations stands ready to support all ongoing efforts.»
Storms and cyclones in South and Southeast Asia from November 17 to December 3.
Overlapping storms
Experts say the disasters were caused by an unusual convergence of powerful weather systemsincluding cyclones Ditwah and Senyar, alongside a strengthened northeast monsoon.
Warm ocean temperatures and changing storm tracks have produced extreme precipitation in areas historically facing lower cyclone risk.
Across the region, nearly 11 million people were affected, with around 1.2 million forced from their homes into shelters, while roads, utilities and agricultural land were washed away.
A man stands in more than a meter of floodwater in Gampaha, Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: Nationwide devastation
Sri Lanka suffered some of the worst impacts after the arrival of Cyclone Ditwah. on November 28, causing flooding and landslides across almost the entire island.
The highest number of deaths were reported in the mountainous districts of Kandy, Nuwara Eliya and Badulla, where landslides swept away plantation communities. Severe flooding also inundated the western and north-western districts – including the outer suburbs of Colombo – disrupting markets, transport and water supplies.
Children have been particularly hard hit, with more than 275,000 people affected.
Bridges and access roads washed away by a landslide in West Sumatra, Indonesia.
Indonesia: flash floods and landslides
In Indonesia, incessant downpours between November 22 and 25 caused deadly floods and landslides. across Aceh, West Sumatra and North Sumatra, devastating dozens of districts.
Official figures show more than 830 deaths, with at least 500 people still missing and more than 880,000 people displaced. In total, more than three million people were affected by floodwaters, collapsing hills and destroyed infrastructure.
Entire villages were submerged, bridges washed away and roads cut, isolating communities and slowing relief efforts. Emergency teams rely on helicopters and boats to deliver aid to areas inaccessible by land.
“We are working closely with the government on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), logistics and coordination with local partners,” said UN spokesperson Dujarric.
A teacher inspects the damage in a kindergarten classroom at a school in Thailand.
Thailand and Malaysia: mass evacuations
Heading east, Intensified monsoon rains have hit southern Thailand.where 12 provinces were affected.
At least 185 people have died, 367 are missing and more than four million people have been affected. More than 219,000 residents were displaced when rivers overflowed and low-lying coastal areas were flooded.
In neighboring Malaysia, flooding in eight northern and central states displaced approximately 37,000 people. Authorities continue to issue evacuation orders and weather warnings as rain persists.
A UNICEF staff member delivers ready-to-eat food to a family in Tuyên Quang, Viet Nam.
Viet Nam: an incessant typhoon season
Viet Nam faces the cumulative toll of one of the harshest typhoon seasons in years. Since October, a succession of storms have flooded and damaged large areas of the country, particularly in the northern and central provinces.
Persistent downpours since mid-November, compounded by Tropical Cyclone Koto, have triggered further landslides and prolonged displacement. A joint national response plan is underway to combat food insecurity, health risks and damaged infrastructure.
To support the response, $2.6 million was allocated by the UN. Central Emergency Response Fund (DEER).
Gampaha (pictured), a district on the outskirts of Colombo, was one of the areas hardest hit by flooding after Cyclone Ditwah.
Disasters amplified by climate change
United Nations agencies say the storms reflect a broader shift toward more intense and unpredictable weather in the Asia-Pacific region. Cyclone Ditwah tracked unusually far south along the coast of Sri Lanka, while Cyclone Senyar formed near the equator in the Strait of Malacca – a rare phenomenon.
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESC), in its last report published last week, warned that rising temperatures are fundamentally reshaping the region’s risk landscape.
Warmer ocean waters increase the risk of extreme precipitation, while rapid urban growth, deforestation and wetland loss amplify the impacts of flooding. Even where early warnings were issued, rapidly rising waters overwhelmed evacuation routes in some places.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
