South Asia monsoon risks floods, drought

KATHMANDU:

South Asian communities face "serious hazards" from intense rains this season, even though the approaching monsoon is expected to bring lower than normal rains overall, risking drought, experts warned on Thursday.

The Hindu Kush-Himalayan range, which stretches from Afghanistan to Myanmar, holds the largest reserves of ice and snow outside the Arctic and Antarctica and feeds at least 10 major Asian river systems that underpin water, food and energy security across the continent.

"The outlook points to a drier monsoon overall, but that does not mean lower risk," said Manish Shrestha, a hydrologist at the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). "Short, intense rainfall events can still trigger serious hazards."

Long, dry spells followed by extreme rainfall events, ICIMOD warned, raised the risk of floods and landslides.

Deadly weather-related disasters are common during the monsoon season from June to September but experts say climate change, coupled with urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity.