Date | 2–3 May 2018 |
---|---|
Location | Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan |
Deaths | 125+ |
Non-fatal injuries | 200+ [1] |
From 2 to 3 May 2018, high-velocity dust storms swept across parts of North India. 125 people died and over 200 were injured.
In Uttar Pradesh, 43 died in the city of Agra and about 30 died elsewhere in the state. In neighboring Rajasthan, about 35 people died and over 200 were injured after winds downed more than 8,000 electricity poles and uprooted hundreds of trees. Storms are not uncommon in the region; however, because these storms occurred at night and with greater wind speeds than average, the death toll was higher than usual.
Dust storms are a feature of India's seasonal weather patterns. [2] The storms typically occur in the summer months, when the weather has been dry to allow dust to be picked up by passing winds. The death toll in such storms rarely exceeds 12; a previous storm hit India on 11 April 2018, killing 19 people [2] [3]
[4] The dust storm occurred at the start of India's monsoon season. [5] In the days prior, region meteorologists had forecast thunderstorms and high winds to occur over that week. Contributing to the storm was a period of abnormally high temperatures for the region, which increased the intensity of the weather system. [6]
The dust storm first started late on 2 May 2018, predominantly hitting the states of Uttar Pradesh [7] and Rajasthan. [3] At least 73 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, with 43 of those in the city of Agra; [5] 21 people have been reported killed in Kheragarh, a town around 50 km south-west of the city. [3] At least 35 people were killed in Rajasthan, [5] with the Alwar district being the worst hit; the Bharatpur and Dholpur districts were also affected. [3] Four people died in the state of Uttarakhand, [5] and Delhi was also affected. [3] More than 200 people were injured by the storm. [5]
Officials stated that the storm was more devastating than prior dust storms as the stronger weather system carried more debris which caused more damage to homes and buildings, and because it struck at night, most were asleep and were unable to take precautions, leaving many killed or injured by falling structures. [3] Most damage and fatalities were associated with high winds, rather than dust. [2] In Rajasthan, electricity supplies were interrupted by 200–300 downed pylons, and schools were closed in the Alwar district. [3]
Because conditions were still prime for more severe weather, the Uttar Pradesh government continued to plan to alert its citizens to weather conditions for the following 48 hours. [5]
The Government of Uttar Pradesh has announced compensation for the relatives of those killed amounting to ₹ 4 lakh (US$5,000). [3]
Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 after India had become a republic. It was a successor to the United Provinces (UP) during the period of the Dominion of India (1947–1950), which in turn was a successor to the United Provinces (UP) established in 1935, and eventually of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh established in 1902 during the British Raj. The state is divided into 18 divisions and 75 districts, with the state capital being Lucknow, and Prayagraj serving as the judicial capital. On 9 November 2000, a new state, Uttaranchal, was created from Uttar Pradesh's western Himalayan hill region. The two major rivers of the state, the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna, meet at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, a Hindu pilgrimage site. Other notable rivers are Gomti and Saryu. The forest cover in the state is 6.1 per cent of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 82 per cent of total geographical area and net area sown is 68.5 per cent of cultivable area.
Agra is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about 210 kilometres (130 mi) south of the national capital New Delhi and 320 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the fourth-most populous city in Uttar Pradesh and twenty-third most populous city in India.
Harit Pradesh is a proposed new state of India comprising the western parts of Uttar Pradesh state. Harit means Green which signifies the agricultural prosperity of the region and Pradesh means state.
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