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Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata could submerge into sea by 2050 due to Climate Change

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As climate change will put three times more people at risk of coastal flooding by 2050 than previously thought, Mumbai and Kolkata were on the list of global cities that face the risk of being wiped out, according to a research report which was released in 2019 but now, another report by Council on Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) has revealed some shocking details confirming the same.

Storm surges, cyclones, and rising sea levels could affect the lives of more than 20 million people residing in Mumbai, a study has revealed. The study has warned that densely populated coastal cities that have delicate infrastructure have hardly another couple of decades to counter the impact of climate change.

Notably, the CEEW study collated data available with the National Disaster Management Authority, India Meteorological Department, Press Information Bureau, and World Meteorological Organisation to develop the district-level assessment model of India’s extreme climate events.

The study further found that cyclone events have increased six times in the past decades. From two cyclones in 1970-1979, it rose to 12 during 2010-19. At the same time, the number of districts affected by cyclones has increased from two between 1970 and 79 to six between 2010 and 19, with an addition of three more in 2020.

South Mumbai has seen a three times increase in the incidence of extreme flood events over the past 50 years. From two floods per decade from 1980 to 2009 it increased to six floods between 2010 and 19.

In 2019, the New York Times said “Built on what was a series of islands, the city’s historic downtown core is particularly vulnerable”. It also published a series of maps showing parts of Mumbai as well as Bangkok and Shanghai submerged by 2050 and other coastal cities of India in the next few decades.

Across India, an estimated 31 million people live in coastal areas at risk of annual flooding, a number that could go up to 35 million by mid-century and rise further to 51 million by the year 2100.

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