Climate Change
India braces for another month of above-average rainfall in September
Above-normal rainfall could damage summer-sown crops, such as rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses, which are typically harvested from mid-September
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India is forecast to receive above-average rainfall in September after surplus rains in August, the weather department said.
The rainfall in September is likely to be more than 109% of a 50-year average, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department, told a virtual news conference.
Above-normal rainfall could damage summer-sown crops, such as rice, cotton, soybean, corn, and pulses, which are typically harvested from mid-September, Reuters reported.
Crop damage can lead to food inflation, but the rains may also result in higher soil moisture, benefiting the planting of winter-sown crops such as wheat, rapeseed, and chickpea.
India, the world's second-largest producer of wheat, sugar, and rice, has imposed various curbs on the export of these farm commodities, and any losses due to excessive rainfall could prompt New Delhi to extend those curbs.
After receiving 9% more rainfall in July, India had 15.3% more rainfall than average in August as the north-western and central region of the country received heavy rainfall, which led to flooding in some states.
The country has recorded 6.9% more rainfall than average since the start of the monsoon season on June 1.
The lifeblood of a nearly $3.5-trillion economy, the annual monsoon brings almost 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and replenish reservoirs and aquifers. Without irrigation, nearly half the farmland in the country depends on the rains that usually run from June to September.
The monsoon generally starts to retreat by mid-September from the northwestern state of Rajasthan, ending across the country by mid-October.
However, the forecast for September indicates that this year's withdrawal could be delayed.
"Forecast for September suggests that good rainfall activity over Rajasthan and Gujarat starts about 15th September. Nowadays, if you look at, the withdrawal is getting delayed," Mohapatra said.
By mid-September, summer-sown crops become ready for harvesting, and rainfall during this time could damage the ripe crops, said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trade house.
Climate Change
Afghanistan’s air pollution better than last year: officials
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The National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) said on Sunday that air pollution in Afghanistan has decreased this year compared to last year.
Zainul Abedin Abed, the agency’s deputy director for policy and expertise, said in a press conference that in the past three months, Kabul authorities took 4,211 vehicles off the road that were releasing excessive emissions.
He also stressed that the world should not politicize the issue of climate change and that developed countries should pay “compensation” to poor countries to help mitigate the effects of climate change.
“Compensation should be taken from developed countries and compensation should be paid to the affected countries. The withdrawal of the Americans or Donald Trump from the Paris Agreement is a violation of human principles. Climate change is a human issue. There must be engagement on this issue. Instead of political considerations, engagement should be opted,” Abed said.
Officials from the National Environmental Protection Agency also said that aid to fight the effects of climate change has not been cut.
“As far as we know, mostly humanitarian aid has been cut off, but projects in the environment and climate change sectors have not been impacted,” said Rohullah Amin, head of climate change department at the National Environmental Protection Agency.
NEPA officials also said that in cooperation with other government agencies, a six-month action plan has been developed to prevent the increase of air pollution.
According to officials, since the Islamic Emirate’s return to power in 2021, the agency has held 3,000 awareness programs to reduce air pollution, in which more than 500,000 people have participated.
Officials at the agency also called on Kabul residents to refrain from using fuel that causes air pollution.
However, a number of Kabul residents complain about the increase in air pollution in recent days and ask the authorities to take more practical measures.
Air pollution in Kabul has always been a source of concern for the residents of the city.
Climate Change
1 dead, thousands evacuated as Australia’s northeast battles floods
“Residents in low-lying areas should collect their evacuation kit and move to a safe place on higher ground. This situation may pose a threat to life and property,” regional emergency management authorities said
![Australia Floods](https://www.ariananews.af/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/MixCollage-02-Feb-2025-08-22-AM-9835.jpg)
One person died on Sunday in Australia's north Queensland state in heavy flooding, authorities said, urging thousands of people to move to higher ground because of torrential rains.
Queensland authorities said major flooding was underway in coastal Hinchinbrook Shire, a locality of about 11,000 people about 500 kilometers north of state capital, Brisbane. Several suburbs in the nearby city of Townsville were also affected, authorities said.
North Queensland has large zinc reserves as well as major deposits of silver, lead, copper and iron ore. Townsville is a major processing center for the region's base metals. In 2019, severe floods in the area disrupted lead and zinc concentrate rail shipments and damaged thousands of properties, Reuters reported.
"Residents in low-lying areas should collect their evacuation kit and move to a safe place on higher ground. This situation may pose a threat to life and property," regional emergency management authorities said on Sunday morning.
The flooding was triggered by heavy rain from a low-pressure system rich in tropical moisture, Australia's weather forecaster said on its website, adding that 24-hour rainfall totals were likely up to 30 centimeters.
"The potential for heavy, locally intense rainfall and damaging winds may continue into early next week subject to the strength and position of the trough and low," it said.
Frequent flooding has hit Australia's east in recent years including "once in a century" floods that inundated the neighboring Northern Territory in January 2023 during a multiyear La Nina weather event.
Climate Change
Stanekzai calls on int’l community to help combat climate change effects in Afghanistan
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Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, deputy foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, says the use of bombs and chemical weapons during decades of war in Afghanistan has harmed the country's environment.
Speaking at a National Climate Change Conference in Kabul on Wednesday, Stanikzai called on the international community and countries involved in Afghanistan's wars to not politicize environmental issues and to cooperate with Afghanistan.
“Those harmful bombs, devices, chemical weapons, and explosives that were used here unfortunately still have visible effects. In many of our areas, landmines are buried, and their effects are being seen in the second generation today,” said Stanekzai.
He further stated that 80 percent of Afghanistan's forests have been destroyed due to the wars and stressed that to overcome the current crisis, the country’s water resources must be managed, as Afghanistan is already facing a water shortage.
He said: “You can see that across all of Afghanistan, the water levels are dropping, and Afghanistan is facing a water shortage. If we don’t control our water, and if things continue this way, it will be detrimental to us, and a day will come when we won’t have any water to drink anywhere in Afghanistan.”
Meanwhile, Muti-ul-Haq Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, stated at the conference that climate change is a global phenomenon, and addressing it requires joint efforts and cooperation. He called on the world to assist Afghanistan.
Deputy Minister of Economy Abdul Latif Nazari also stated: “Sanctions should be lifted, and restrictions must be removed so that institutions and organizations can cooperate more easily with our agencies, including the National Environmental Protection Agency, without facing
problems in financial transactions.”
In the meantime, the head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, said that UNAMA supports efforts to combat the effects of climate change in Afghanistan.
“I promise that UNAMA will support efforts to combat the effects of climate change. UNAMA plans to hold national and international meetings this year on climate change and its impacts in Afghanistan. I also urge UN agencies and NGOs to support these efforts with technical expertise and practical knowledge,” said Otunbayeva.
Currently, Afghanistan is the sixth most vulnerable country in the world due to climate change.
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