Cyclones, Climate Change and the Northeast

The last week of May saw India’s eastern regions being hit by Cyclone Remal along with the neighbouring nation of Bangladesh. Remal originated in the Bay of Bengal before touching land in Bangladesh. The United Nations deemed the cyclone ‘severe’, highlighting its impact. UNICEF India estimated that about 23.2 million people were affected by this.

Image Credits: https://www.businesstoday.in/world/story/cyclone-remal-kills-16-snaps-power-links-to-millions-in-india-bangladesh-431063-2024-05-27

Touching down in Southern West Bengal, the cyclone went to the Northeast. Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, southern Assam.  Like all cyclones from the Bay of Bengal, Remal was no different. It brought along winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rainfall. In its trail of destruction, Remal left behind flash floods, erosion, landslides, property destruction, and death, and affected people took refuge after being evacuated.

Remal left about 40 casualties from the northeastern states, hundreds of evacuated families, and destruction of homes. Strong winds uprooted trees, electricity poles and homes.  State infrastructure was destroyed. National Highway 6 suffered a landslide in Hunthar, Mizoram, disrupting inter-state transportation. Heavy rainfall led to the overflowing of several rivers in the affected states. The overflowing rivers, in turn, invoked flash floods. In Assam, districts in the Barak Valley, Cachar and Karimganj suffered flash floods (India, 2024). With water above the danger mark, the Kopili River, which passes from Assam to Meghalaya, flooded nine districts. Over 35000 people were shifted into relief camps in the wake of the destruction. Floods also occurred in the capital city of Manipur, Imphal, where the Nambul and Imphal rivers overflowed into danger levels. The same occurred in Tripura, where the low-lying areas beside the banks of Haora and Gomati rivers were flooded.

The State reacted accordingly, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, and Assam Rifles personnel aided the rescue and evacuation response. The respective state governments, all institutionalised actors and humanitarian helpers form the stakeholders in disaster management.

Running adjacent to the heat waves affecting the country, cyclone Remal highlighted multiple areas of interest and intervention. Its near-catastrophic impact has raised important questions about climate change and its impact on natural disasters. In a Scroll piece titled “Why Cyclone Remal Left North East Battered”, Zaman (2024) highlighted the reasons behind the impact. Sanjay O’Neill Shaw, a senior scientist of the regional Indian Meteorological Department, responded to the change undertaken by Remal, which impacted South Assam, Meghalaya, and parts of Manipur. Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, CEO of Assam State Disaster Management Authority, reiterated how, during his entire time in Assam, a cyclone had never entered Assam before Remal.  

The strength of the cyclone, which otherwise should have faltered when it hit land in Bangladesh, remained strong. Raghu Murtugudde, professor of climate studies at IIT Bombay, spotlighted the presence of humidity owing to the hot pre-monsoon weather in the Northeast. The hot, humid air helped the cyclone to regain its strength. The strong winds led to heavy rainfall when it hit the hills.

The impact then brings questions of how much climate change should be ignored.

Disaster management in India has always been reactive. It has provisions for helping manage the aftermath of a natural disaster. Yet, it has failed to consider the unequal impact of disasters on social classes and neglected the frequency of natural disasters that plague the Northeastern states. Floods are common in Assam; landslides occur every monsoon in the hilly states. The reactive nature points out the lack of infrastructure to mitigate the impact of natural disasters.

Read more:

Choudhury, R. (2024, May 31). 40 Killed In Landslides, Flash Floods Across Northeast After Cyclone Remal. Retrieved from NDTV: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/40-killed-in-landslides-flash-floods-across-northeast-after-cyclone-remal-5784315

Sphere India (2024). Cyclone Remal, North East: Situation Report - 4 (30th May 2024). ReliefWeb.

United Nations (2024, May 28). UN supports response as Cyclone Remal batters communities in Bangladesh, India. Retrieved from UN News Global perspective Human stories: https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/05/1150306

Zaman, R. (2024, June 3). Why Cyclone Remal left North East battered. Retrieved from Scroll: https://scroll.in/article/1068675/why-cyclone-remal-left-north-east-battered