HIGHLIGHTS
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India is prone to extreme weather events. In 2023, India witnessed three major cyclones with limited wind damage but unusually long coastal traversal, which led to severe flooding impacts both on east and west coasts. Additionally, southern states experienced scorching heatwaves and drought in Karnataka, northwestern states faced excessive rainfall, and Sikkim and West Bengal were impacted by a glacial lake outburst flood.
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Over 5.5 million people were adversely affected across various states of India. Urgent investment in preparedness for response needed to address the increasing frequency and diverse impacts of extreme weather events, emphasizing the importance of climate resilience and adaptive strategies nationwide.
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UNICEF India supported 1.48 million people affected by disasters in 2023, including 2.85 million children and women who accessed primary healthcare services, 93,150 people who were provided with critical WASH supplies, and 57,653 unaccompanied and separated children who were provided with alternative care services.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
The occurrence of two cyclones in close succession, ‘Mocha’, a category five tropical cyclone on 15 May 2023 in the Bay of Bengal, and ‘Biparjoy’, the longest duration cyclone ever recorded in the Arabian Sea, on 26 June 2023, signifies alarming escalations in impacts of the changing climate and increased cyclonic activity around the coastal regions of India. From 11 to 16 June, the eastern and southern states experienced heatwaves, while during the same period, the unusually slow-moving cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ caused sustained heavy rainfall in western and north-western India and floods in the state of Gujarat. These changing climatic phenomena are adding to the complexities and intensifying the disaster risks faced across India during the monsoon season.
In the state of Assam and other parts of Northeastern India, UNICEF continued its work on emergency preparedness and response, supporting state government counterparts to build resilient systems and respond to conflict and emergencies that affected children and women in states where multiple vulnerabilities and shocks exist. On 3 October 2023, a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from South Lhonak Lake in the state of Sikkim breached, causing intense damage to the education sector, housing, settlements, and various productive and social sectors in Sikkim and downstream in West Bengal. UNICEF supported the Sikkim Government-led post disaster needs assessment to assess damage from GLOF, which enumerated the education sector damage close to US$4.15 million. Such climate extremes induced losses are becoming common place. On 5 December 2023, during the north-east monsoon, Tamil Nadu state received heavy rainfall from cyclonic storm ‘Michaung,’ which made landfall near Bapatla, Andhra Pradesh. Chennai city received 46.8cm of rain in 48 hours, leading to massive flooding. 198 out of 200 urban wards of Chennai were flooded, particularly impacting the 29 per cent of the city population that lives in slums. On that day, the capacity of Chennai’s sprawling wetlands and water bodies were unable to absorb the excess water, as the majority of these were lost in the past decades of urban growth that have harmed the natural ecosystems.
Just two weeks after the cyclone Michaung, the southern-most districts of Tamil Nadu faced extreme rainfall leading to wide-spread flash floods. In a 24-hour period, Kayalpattinam in the Thoothukudi district of Tamil Nadu, recorded an overwhelming 95cm of rain, followed by Thiruchendur and Sri Vaikuntam (both in Thoothukudi district) with 69cm and 62cm respectively. Such extreme climate variability is often beyond the capacities of local and state governments to respond.
While the requirements for improved preparedness and widespread responses to the impacts of extreme climate events on children and their families are increasing, the availability of resources is limited. In the current context where resources are constrained and the Government of India and State governments have improved capacities, UNICEF has shifted focus from resource intensive lifesaving emergency programmes for children, to a key change strategy of 'risk-informed programming' to strengthen systemic preparedness to respond to the impacts of emergencies on children and their families. The principle of localization is also helping to mitigate the challenge of limited resources; for example, UNICEF coordinated and facilitated access to in-kind emergency supplies by local partners to enable delivery of fast and effective humanitarian action for vulnerable children and their families impacted by cyclone Michaung. By balancing upstream and downstream programming, UNICEF successfully influenced and leveraged wider systems to work for children during emergencies. UNICEF assists children at-risk or affected by disasters by using smart strategies that consider potential risks, making sure they can get the important services, protection, and opportunities they need to grow and thrive. This involves working closely with social sector line-departments, disaster management authorities, and at-risk communities.
During 2023, UNICEF India used its scarce resources to supplement and influence the extensive efforts of the government, focusing on meeting the lifesaving and protection needs of evacuated girls, boys, women, and men accommodated in cyclone/mass shelters in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Amidst the ever-expanding range of climate hazards in India, UNICEF supported the efforts of the government line-departments to address the urgent needs of 3.5 million people, including children, affected by cyclones, floods, and other humanitarian emergencies in the states of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Odisha, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. UNICEF provided support to the line departments in these states to enhance their emergency preparedness and response capabilities and used the emergencies to provide support and strengthen systems to advance child inclusion in early recovery planning and coordination.