UNITED NATIONS, Oct 12: India has suffered economic losses of $79.5 billion due to natural disasters during the last two decades, according to the UN.
Between 1998 to 2017, two of the worst years for lower-middle income countries -- a category that India falls into -- were 2002 when a severe drought in India affected 300 million people, and 2015 again with a drought hitting India and other countries, according to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction report.
It warned of growing risk from climate change, which would hit developing countries the hardest.
The last 20 years have seen a dramatic rise of 151 per cent in direct economic losses from climate-related disasters, the report said.
During that period 77 per cent of the economic losses $2,908 billion were due to climate-related disasters, it said. - IANS
