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Writing on the wall for South Asia from climate change, several studies point out

Published

3 years ago

2023/07/11

People wading through water during a flood in a Colombo suburb (File photo)

Several research studies, published by peer-reviewed journals in recent weeks, have pointed out that Climate-change-induced downpours, drought, and soaring temperatures have become increasingly common across the eight countries of South Asia, making it one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to the impacts of global warming.

A University of Leeds study published in 2021 found the ice from glaciers in the Himalayas is melting “at least 10 times higher than the average rate over past centuries”, a result of human-induced climate change, Al Jazeera said in a report.

Researchers said the Himalayas, which cover countries such as Pakistan, Nepal and India, had lost 40 percent of their ice over several hundred years.

Water scarcity and low crop yields will result in adding to the continuing hunger crisis in the region, climate experts said.

In 2021, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) said some 21 percent of people in South Asia faced severe food insecurity, a two percent rise from 2020. In the same year, the region had the highest number of undernourished people in the world – 330 million – the FOA said.

For thousands of years, South Asia was seen as the world’s “granary” for agriculture – a region with weather patterns well-suited for growing crops, Pakistan-based climate scientist Fahad Saeed told Al Jazeera.

“However, with the onset of climate change, the delicate balance which was important for crops to grow, has been disturbed,” Saeed said.

Results from a study published in 2021 on wheat production up to 2050, using crop simulation models, found the most negative effects will be seen in South Asian nations with a yield decline of 16 percent.

Environmentalist Anjal Prakash said climate change will have “significant implications” for food security in South Asia.

“Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, and storms … pose substantial challenges to agricultural systems in the region,” said Prakash, adding livestock productivity and fisheries will be adversely affected.

Prakash said climate change could also make water availability a significant issue in the region, which has one of the highest number of glaciers in the world, situated in the Himalayas.

“Melting glaciers and changes in rainfall patterns can disrupt irrigation systems, affecting crop growth and exacerbating water scarcity,” Prakash, who has previously worked with the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, asserted.

Fears of declines in food production, together with other climate-related calamities, such as rising sea levels, have also raised the alarm as millions in South Asia are being internally displaced.

A report published by activist group ActionAid in 2020 estimated the region could see up to 63 million people become migrants by 2050 as a result of extreme weather events.

Huq said displacement from human-induced climate change was further adding to economic migration from rural to urban areas – a continuing phenomenon worldwide – with South Asia being a major “hotspot”, with the greatest displacement taking place in low-lying coastal areas.

“Climate change … is exacerbating the ‘push factor’ – the motivation to migrate away from place of residence – for people who are living in places where they can no longer continue to have livelihoods that they used to have, whether it’s farming or fishing,” he said.

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SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa arrested by CIABOC

Published

4 hours ago

2026/09/4

Priyan

(File pic)

Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).

Namal Rajapaksa had been summoned by CIABOC to provide a statement in connection with investigations into the controversial Airbus deal. He was subsequently arrested by CIABOC after recording his statement for over 5 hours.

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nittambuwa, Algama, Malwana, Aranayake, Meegahakiula and Panamkadu about 12.09 noon today (04)

Published

11 hours ago

2026/09/4

Priyan

The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.

The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (04) are Nittambuwa, Algama, Malwana, Aranayake, Meegahakiula and Panamkadu about 12.09 noon.

News

Norochcholai digs into dwindling coal stocks, two units slash generation

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/4

Thilina Walpola

Plant’s output cut from 270 MW to 140 MW amidst dwindling stocks; energy analysts warn system remains “at a razor’s edge”

By Ifham Nizam

The Norochcholai coal-fired power plant is now digging into the last dredges of its coal stock, with two operational units forced to slash generation from around 270 MW to just 140 MW on Sunday as the plant ran critically short of fuel, according to independent energy analysts and sources familiar with the National System Operator (NSO).

The sudden reduction of approximately 130 MW in coal generation has once again exposed the fragile state of the country’s power supply arrangements, with the plant understood to have coal stocks sufficient only until Friday night.

“This is not how a coal plant is expected to operate. They are digging up the last dredges of coal from the plant,” an independent energy analyst told The Island.

The analyst questioned why the units had been allowed to reach this stage without earlier intervention, arguing that at least one unit should have been deloaded around 10 days ago to conserve the remaining coal.

Had that been done, the analyst said, the country could also have reduced its dependence on more expensive diesel-fired generation during the period when

coal stocks were being conserved.

The latest NSO generation figures highlight the continuing pressure on the system.

Around 7 p.m. on Sunday, when the night peak was reached, total demand stood at 2,552.7 MW. Coal contributed only 282 MW, while major hydro accounted for 1,215.8 MW and thermal-oil generation for 791.9 MW.

The night peak of 2,552.7 MW was substantially higher than the daytime peak of 2,246 MW, according to the NSO Generation Summary for August 30.

The most immediate concern is the remaining coal stock at Norochcholai.

Sources said the plant has coal only to Friday night, making the timing of the next shipment critical.

The first shipment under the emergency arrangement is expected to arrive on Friday, September 4, but the coal unloading will have to begin on the same day if

the power plant is to continue operating without further significant deloading.

That creates another potential vulnerability, with rough sea conditions posing an additional challenge to unloading operations.

Energy sector sources said that even the arrival of the September 4 shipment would not completely eliminate the danger.

The next shipment under the new coal tender would need to commence unloading around September 15. Any significant delay beyond that could again force the Norochcholai units to operate at reduced output.

“We are still at a razor’s edge”

The independent energy analyst said the situation should not be viewed merely as a question of whether a particular vessel arrives on time.

The situation also means that any further reduction in coal generation could have a direct impact on the use of oil-fired power generation, potentially increasing the cost of electricity generation.

The latest NSO figures already show the important role being played by thermal-oil generation during the evening peak, when demand rises sharply.

The analyst questioned the rationale behind allowing the coal units to continue operating at higher loading until stocks reached critically low levels instead of taking measures earlier to stretch the available inventory.