Mumbai, Kolkata May Get Flooded by 2050 If Carbon Emissions Are Not Controlled Immediately: Report

Mumbai, October 30: According to a new research study done by a US-based agency, more than three-and-a-half crore people in India could get affected by the annual coastal flooding by 2050. Among the places that may get flooded are large parts of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Kolkata. These places stand a chance to get inundated if the global CO2 emissions are not controlled immediately.  By 2100, it warned, 44 million people will be under the risk of annual flooding due to the rise in the sea level.

The study conducted by US-based NGO Climate Central said six Asian countries - India, China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Thailand - where 237 million people live, could face annual coastal flooding threats by 2050, roughly 183 million more than assessments based on prevailing elevation data. Nearly 36 Million Indians Will Be Under Threat of Annual Floods by 2050: Study.

The data further mentioned that Bangladesh and China will be the worst affected with about 93 and 42 million people respectively getting impacted in the coastal flooding by 2050.  The study said by 2100, two more countries - Japan and the Philippines - will experience annual tidal flooding with 22 million people at risk.

As pointed out in the research report, the global mean sea level rose by 11-16 cm in the twentieth century. The sea level could rise another 0.5 m even if we immediately try to cut the carbon emissions. However, under high emissions condition, the twenty-first-century rise may exceed 2 m.

(With additional inputs from agencies)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 30, 2019 03:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).