Flashfloods: 3 dead in Himachal, eastern Rajasthan on red alert, very heavy rain in Western MP, Bihar  

Three people were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall” in the Himalayan gateway town of Mandi as “gushing” flood waters flowed through the city, the Indian Express reported. The newspaper quoted state authorities stating that Mandi has become “the epicentre of disasters” in Himachal Pradesh, in a region that has seen “intensifying climate volatility” in recent years. 

IMD issued a red alert of very heavy rainfall in eastern Rajasthan,  and warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall in western Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and different parts in Himachal Pradesh, DTE reported

In Madhya Pradesh Bhopal received 117.7 mm rainfall in just over a day breaking past records, weather office said, while issuing a warning of very heavy rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning  for Bhopal, Vidisha, Sehore, Rajgarh, Betul, Khandwa, Dewas, Shajapur, Guna, Shivpuri, Narsinghpur, Chhindwara and Pandhurna districts, reported TOI.

Glacial bursts and cloud bursts kill 293 in Pakistan

Pakistan recorded 293 deaths and over 600 injured since late June, “as glacial lake outbursts, cloudbursts and relentless monsoon rains triggered catastrophic floods, from the Himalayas to the south plains”, the Times of India reported. Forecasts of another severe monsoon spell have “rais[ed] fears of fresh flash floods and landslides”, the newspaper said, noting that experts “blame successive gov[ernments] for ignoring climate adaptation and disaster preparedness, despite warnings”. Thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes because floodwaters from the Indus and Chenab rivers have “inundated more than a dozen villages” across Pakistan’s Punjab province, reported the newspaper Tribune. 

Over 1,000 dead in rains till July 16; Andhra logs most monsoon deaths

India recorded 1,297 deaths due to intense rainfall between April 1 and July 16, 2025. Andhra Pradesh suffered the highest toll of 258, followed by 171 deaths in Himachal Pradesh, 148 in Madhya Pradesh, and 101 in Bihar, ministry of home affairs informed the Lok Sabha, HT reported. 

It added a total of 51,699 cattle were lost, 92,663 houses damaged and 154,394.27 ha cropped area affected during the period. Himachal recorded a loss of 23,818 cattle and 1,528 homes, M.P. lost 325 cattle and 986 homes. Assam recorded the highest damage to cropped area covering 29,714.89 ha.

“Due to highly favourable synoptic systems and monsoonal winds, central and western parts of India, have experienced heavy rainfall spells, leading to excess to large excess rainfall over these areas, due to which early flood incidents have also been reported,” the newspaper reported the Centre saying. 

Himachal Pradesh recorded a loss of 23,818 cattle and 1,528 homes, MP lost 325 cattle and 986 homes. Assam recorded the highest damage to cropped area covering 29,714.89 ha.

Climate change is redrawing flash flood maps in India: IIT Study

A new study by IIT Gandhinagar warned that manmade climate change is carving new flood-prone regions in areas once considered very safe. The study, titled “Drivers of Flash Floods in the Indian Subcontinental River Basins” said flash flood hotspots are expanding beyond traditionally vulnerable zones into drier and semi-arid regions, New Indian Express reported. 

The study observed a marked rise in flash floods across semi-arid zones of western India, regions previously seen as low-risk, caused by an increase in sub-daily precipitation events and heat, which increases moisture and triggers intense rainfall. 

Even sub-basins earlier considered low in susceptibility are now showing significant increases in both precipitation and streamflow. The researchers compared data from 2001 to 2020 with a baseline of 1981–2000 and found a sharp rise in wet hours — a key driver of flash floods — across all Indian river basins not previously categorised as prone, the outlet noted. 

The proportion of non-flash flood-prone sub-basins with increased rainfall and streamflow grew from 51% to 66.5% in the past two decades, the study said. Similarly, the areas currently classified as highly susceptible to flash floods are seeing a reduction in precipitation and streamflow, indicating a potential future shift in flood hotspots. The percentage of wet hours in these zones declined from 50.3% to 48.7%, the study said.

According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), over 40 million hectares of land in India are prone to floods. Flash floods remain one of the deadliest forms of flooding, causing over 5,000 deaths annually. 

Flood and heatwave risks increasing in urban India, $2.4 trillion investment required: World Bank

According to a new World Bank report, India will need “over $2.4 trillion by 2050” to develop “resilient, low-carbon infrastructure” to adapt to rising climate impacts in its expanding cities, reported HT. The outlet noted that prepared in partnership with India’s urban affairs ministry, the report estimated that by 2050, heat stress could reduce working hours by 20% and heat-related deaths “may rise to more than 328,000 by 2050” if emissions continue at current levels.

The World Bank estimates that urban flooding – which currently costs India 0.5-2.5% of its gross domestic product annually – “will double under a global high-emission scenario”, LiveMint reported. The outlet noted that the fact that more than half of India’s urban growth (in terms of new built infrastructure) “is yet to come” can be “a huge opportunity to…avoid large future damages and losses from climate and disaster impacts”.

India’s forests are “less able to convert greenness into actual carbon uptake”

An IIT study found that Indian forests’ ability to photosynthesise has been impaired by rising heat and dryness, making it harder for them to do their job, reported TOI.

The outlet noted that India’s forests are greener than they were two decades ago. But that’s not a reason to celebrate. “In fact, it may be providing a deceptive cover to a deeper climate crisis.” the newspaper said. A landmark study by two scientists at IIT Kharagpur revealed that even as greenness and leaf cover have increased for Indian forests, their ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide — a critical function in the fight against climate change — is deteriorating, the newspaper reported. 

Land remains a blind spot in tracking progress under the Paris Agreement due to lack of data comparability

According to a new study published in Nature, greenhouse emissions from land use are a blind spot that leave countries uninformed of the 2030 gap between their ambitions for mitigation on land and models’ benchmarks. 

The study said land carbon fluxes are key to the Paris Agreement, but data comparability issues persist between countries’ land greenhouse gas inventories and mitigation targets, and what land models (bookkeeping and integrated assessments) provide as Paris-aligned benchmarks for land. As a result, the Global Stocktake, aiming to track collective mitigation progress, did not explicitly consider country targets for land. 

Top UN court says treaties compel wealthy nations to curb global warming

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest court, has told “wealthy” countries “they must comply with their international commitments to curb pollution or risk having to pay compensation to nations hard hit by climate change”, reported Reuters. The ICJ ruled yesterday that countries must address the “urgent and existential threat” of climate change, in an advisory opinion that is being hailed by small island states and environmental groups as a “legal stepping stone to make big polluters accountable”, the newswire said.

The Print said India had a hand in the landmark ruling: “In its written and oral submissions, India underscored the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. It argued that wealthy nations that grew rich through carbon-intensive development must not only cut emissions first, but also provide new and additional climate finance, technology transfers, and support for adaptation and loss and damage.

The ICJ largely agreed. Its opinion stresses that the duty to prevent environmental harm extends beyond borders, that this duty is one of conduct (not merely intent), and that failure to mitigate risks, even by omission, can amount to a breach of international obligations.”

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