Number Of Humans Hurt By Flooding Will Double By 2030 Over 2010 #s To 147 Million
The number of people annually impacted by coastal and river flooding is expected to double from 72 million to 147 million over the next 10 years, research by influential think tank the World Resources Institute has warned.
Floods cost the global economy an estimated $45.9bn and killed nearly 4,500 people worldwide in 2019, and their impact could be even higher this year, the new report warned, noting that the upcoming flood season could aggravate the coronavirus crisis in South and Southeast Asia and Africa.
The think tank released the findings today as it launched an upgrade to its Aqueduct Floods online flood measurement tool that will see it include coastal glood data for the first time. Betsy Otto, director of WRI's Global Water Programme, warned that flooding, which can cause outbreaks in waterborne diseases and seriously undermine sanitation facilities, will "add to the misery" already being caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"Floods are a threat multiplier that could worsen the public health and economic impacts we're seeing from Covid-19," she said. "At a time when countries are struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, natural disasters like flooding threaten the lives and livelihoods of people worldwide, especially vulnerable populations living in crowded urban dwellings."
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