Natural disasters affected 50m in Asia last year: report.

ISLAMABAD -- Economic losses from drought, floods and landslides have rocketed in Asia, and last year alone, weather and water-related hazards caused total damage of $35.6 billion, affecting nearly 50 million people, according to a report, entitled 'State of the Climate in Asia 2021', released on Monday.

The report, which was produced jointly with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), was presented during the UN climate change negotiations, COP27, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

It shows how, compared to the average in the past 20 years, economic losses are on the rise for most types of disasters. Economic damage from drought has increased by 63 per cent, from floods by 23pc, and from landslides by 147pc, compared to the 2001-2020 average.

The report painted a worrying scenario for future water stress. High mountain Asia, including the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, contains the largest volume of ice outside the polar region, with...