Over 2,000 died due to extreme weather events in India in 2018-19: Env Ministry

More than 2,000 people died in India in the last one year due to extreme weather events, the Environment Ministry informed Rajya Sabha Monday but denied any direct connection to the global issue of climate change.

In a written reply to a query, MoS in Environment Ministry Babul Supriyo said, "As per the information received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, 2,405 lives have been reported to be lost during the financial year 2018-19 in the country due to cyclonic storm/flash flood/landslides/cloudburst etc."
In reply to another question whether about 4,000 deaths take place every year due to climate change, the minister said, "India experienced 431 major natural disasters during the period 1980-2010, resulting in loss of human lives, property and resources. However, any direct attribution to climate change has not been indicated."