Geneva (Switzerland)/ Bangkok (Thailand), April 23 (HBTV): Asia was among the world's most disaster-hit region from weather, climate and water hazards in 2023, the United Nations said on Tuesday, with floods and storms the chief cause of casualties.  

Floods and storms caused the highest number of reported casualties and economic losses in Asia, while the impact of heat waves became more severe, according to a report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Bangkok.   

In 2023, over 80 per cent of reported hydro meteorological hazards in Asia were flood and storm events, the report said. 

According to ‘the State of the Climate in Asia 2023' report, prolonged heat waves affected South and South-East Asia in early summer. In India, severe heat waves in April and June resulted in about 110 fatalities due to heatstroke.

In 2023, the mean temperature over Asia was 0.91 degree Celsius above the 1991-2020 reference periods, the second highest on record. Many parts of the region experienced extreme heat events the previous year. 

Precipitation is a key climate parameter, essential for society in terms of providing water for drinking and domestic purposes, agriculture, industry and hydropower. Variations in precipitation also drive major climate events such as droughts and floods. 

In 2023, substantial precipitation deficits in the region were observed in the Turan Lowland (Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan); the Hindu Kush (Afghanistan, Pakistan); the Himalayas; around the Ganges and lower course of the Brahmaputra Rivers (India and Bangladesh); the Arakan Mountains (Myanmar); and the lower course of the Mekong River.

(ANI) This is a syndicated news feed. HBTV has edited it for clarity.