Global warming causing extreme rainfall that threatens Sri Lanka, Malacca Strait region: Report
Dead, missing tolls in Indonesia, Sri Lanka surpass 2,000 as result of November's deadly floods and landslides caused by extreme rainfall
File Photo by Chamila Karunarathne
ISTANBUL
Extreme rainfall spells are becoming more intense in Sri Lanka and the Malacca Strait region due to global warming, according to a World Weather Attribution report released on Wednesday.
The region's highly populated areas are under threat from increasingly heavy rainfall and extreme floods, the statement said, following deadly floods in November that ravaged Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Malaysia last month, killing over 2,230 people.
"For the Malacca Strait region, the increase in extreme rainfall associated with rising Global mean surface temperature is estimated at about 9% to 50%. Over Sri Lanka, the trends are even stronger; heavy 5-day precipitation events, such as those associated with Cyclonic Storm Ditwah, are now about 28% to 160% more intense due to the warming to date," it said.
Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore surround the Malacca Strait.
In Sri Lanka, the death toll from Cyclone Ditwah has risen to 639, with up to 203 people still missing as of Thursday, according to the local Daily Mirror newspaper. More than 2.3 million people were affected.
Meanwhile, the UN announced a plan Thursday that calls for $35.3 million in additional life-saving assistance for communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, according to a UN Sri Lanka statement.
The plan aims to reach 658,000 of the most vulnerable people who require immediate assistance between December 2025 and April 2026, the statement said.
On Indonesia's Sumatra island, 990 people were killed due to the floods and landslides intensified by Cyclonic Storm Senyar, while 222 people remain missing as of Thursday, according to the disaster agency.
"While early warnings were issued in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, failures in Information & Communication Technology infrastructure may have prevented them from reaching intended audiences, and even those who did receive warnings were often unable to anticipate the scale of the floods. Issues such as language barriers, timing of floods, and the remoteness of some communities presented further challenges," stressed the report.
