India's Weather Fury: 13,000 Lives Lost, Crops Ravaged, Relief Falls Short

In 2025, extreme weather events battered India, leaving behind a trail of destruction-from flash floods and landslides in the hills to devastating floods in the plains. Official data reveals the staggering human and economic cost of these disasters.

Himachal Pradesh saw repeated cloudbursts, flash floods, and landslides in districts like Mandi, Kullu, Kangra, and Shimla. Official reports put the losses at about Rs 4,300 crore and nearly 380 deaths. Roads, bridges, and homes were damaged, leaving many areas cut off.

Punjab faced its worst flood in decades as rivers Sutlej and Beas overflowed, breaching embankments and flooding over 1,000 villages. Thousands of hectares of farmland were submerged. Relief teams from NDRF, the Army, and BSF were deployed, and camps were set up for displaced families. Experts say heavy rainfall and cloudburst events caused the disaster.

Lost Lives

Every year, India faces major hydro-meteorological disasters that destroy homes and take lives. According to a Parliament reply on December 9, 2025, hydro-met disasters killed 13,384 people between 2020-21 and 2025-26 (as of November 23, 2025). The highest fatalities were in 2024-25 when 2,979 lives were lost, followed by 2023-24 with 2,849 deaths. This year (till November 23), 2,388 deaths have been reported.

During the same period, 4.31 lakh cattle died, 28.7 lakh houses were damaged, and 587.8 lakh hectares of crop area were affected.

Crop Losses

Since April this year, Himachal Pradesh has reported 324.27 lakh hectare of crop loss, the highest among all states. Maharashtra lost 75.42 lakh ha, Karnataka 14.81 lakh ha, and Sikkim 8.11 lakh ha. Punjab reported 1.93 lakh ha damaged. Smaller states like Arunachal, Meghalaya, and Nagaland also faced losses, though on a smaller scale.

Relief Gap Remains Wide

In 2024-25, states asked for Rs 17,169 crore in relief funds for weather disasters. The National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) released only Rs 812 crore, which is barely 5 per cent. Tripura sought Rs 6,337 crore but got Rs 175 crore. Tamil Nadu asked for Rs 3,075 crore and received Rs 522 crore. Himachal requested Rs 1,202 crore but got Rs 107 crore, less than 10 per cent. Many states, including Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, received nothing.

The numbers highlight a grim reality: climate-linked disasters are rising, but relief measures remain inadequate. Experts call for better disaster preparedness, climate-resilient infrastructure, and timely financial support to protect lives and livelihoods.