Extreme rainfall, flash floods, and typhoons are causing widespread devastation across Asia, with Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China, and Taiwan all affected.
In Afghanistan, torrential rains and flash floods last week resulted in at least 31 deaths and hundreds missing. Villages and towns were wiped out, with residents like Anar Gul and Sayed Afsar Sadat in Dur Baba reporting collapsed homes and destroyed crops.
Bangladesh's south-eastern coast, including Chattogram, experienced record rainfall in early July, with 412.3mm recorded in 24 hours. This led to flash floods that destroyed homes and livelihoods, as described by Jesmin Akter, who lost her house and belongings.
China has been experiencing extreme rainfall since April, with more than 600 rivers exceeding warning levels. A landslide in Chongqing killed at least 11 people and left 50 missing, while a flash flood in Gansu province killed 10 and injured 23. Typhoon Noul, the strongest to make landfall in China this year, led to the evacuation of over 890,000 people in Guangdong.
Taiwan has also seen a rise in extreme rainfall, with June downpours causing over NT$330m (approximately US$10.2m) in agricultural losses. Taipei recorded its highest monthly rainfall in over a century.
Climate scientists link the extreme weather to climate change, noting that warmer air holds more water vapour, leading to more intense rainfall. Richard Betts, head of climate impacts at the Met Office Hadley Centre, stated that more intense rainfall is an expected consequence of global warming.