Global drought: A perfect storm
Supported by the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the report synthesises data from over 250 peer-reviewed studies, official records, and media sources across more than a dozen countries, revealing a slow-moving catastrophe that has devastated ecosystems, economies, and human lives since 2023. With impacts persisting into 2025, experts warn that the world is entering a 'new normal' of escalating drought severity.
The data is alarming. In Eastern and Southern Africa, over 90 million people face acute hunger, with 68 million in Southern Africa requiring food aid as of August 2024. Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have seen repeated crop failures, with Zimbabwe's 2024 maize harvest plummeting 70% year-on-year, driving maize prices to double and leading to the death of 9,000 cattle from thirst and starvation. In Somalia, 43,000 people died in 2022 due to drought-linked hunger, and by early 2025, 4.4 million—over a quarter of the population—face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 at emergency levels. The energy crisis in Zambia has cascading effects. The Zambezi River, critical for hydropower, dropped to 20 per cent of its long-term average discharge by April 2024, reducing the Kariba Dam's generation capacity to 7 per cent. This triggered blackouts lasting up to 21 hours daily, shuttering hospitals, bakeries, and factories.
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New Indian Express
04-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Global drought: A perfect storm
Sixty-eight million people needing food aid in Southern Africa, 23 million facing acute hunger in Eastern Africa, 4.4 million in Somalia at crisis-level food insecurity, and 1.7 million children suffering acute malnutrition in Somalia — millions are suffering as the global drought crisis deepens in 2023-2025, according to a comprehensive report released today by the U.S. National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), titled Drought Hotspots Around the World 2023-2025. Supported by the International Drought Resilience Alliance (IDRA), the report synthesises data from over 250 peer-reviewed studies, official records, and media sources across more than a dozen countries, revealing a slow-moving catastrophe that has devastated ecosystems, economies, and human lives since 2023. With impacts persisting into 2025, experts warn that the world is entering a 'new normal' of escalating drought severity. The data is alarming. In Eastern and Southern Africa, over 90 million people face acute hunger, with 68 million in Southern Africa requiring food aid as of August 2024. Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi have seen repeated crop failures, with Zimbabwe's 2024 maize harvest plummeting 70% year-on-year, driving maize prices to double and leading to the death of 9,000 cattle from thirst and starvation. In Somalia, 43,000 people died in 2022 due to drought-linked hunger, and by early 2025, 4.4 million—over a quarter of the population—face crisis-level food insecurity, including 784,000 at emergency levels. The energy crisis in Zambia has cascading effects. The Zambezi River, critical for hydropower, dropped to 20 per cent of its long-term average discharge by April 2024, reducing the Kariba Dam's generation capacity to 7 per cent. This triggered blackouts lasting up to 21 hours daily, shuttering hospitals, bakeries, and factories.
Time of India
21-06-2025
- Time of India
Souls in Sync: Thousands stretch, bend for good health
New Delhi: Over 2,000 yoga enthusiasts gathered at Kartavya Path, their voices rising in unison with the chant of 'Om'. International Yoga Day 2025 unfolded as a vibrant display of unity and mindfulness, organised by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The morning began with a live telecast of the Prime Minister's address from Visakhapatnam, which set the tone for the 11th edition of the celebration. In the presence of union health minister, JP Nadda and NDMC vice Chairman, Kuljeet Singh Chahal, the session was led by Acharya Pragya Sagar in collaboration with the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga. Addressing the crowd, Nadda said, "People around the world are doing yoga to stay healthy, and more and more people have started practising yoga in the past ten years." NDMC made seamless arrangements across eight locations, including mobile toilets, healthcare services, and drinking water. Additionally, yoga protocol events were organised at NDMC Old Age Home and Working Women's Hostel, among other venues. Participants from all walks of life took part, including both amateurs and seasoned practitioners, moving together through poses ranging from basic neck stretches to advanced ones like Trikonasana. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Octogenarian Vipin Parmar, seen performing Kati Chakrasana, said, "Yoga is the ultimate lifeline. We don't realise it when we're young, but as we grow older, we understand that it is a gift from our Indian tradition." Similar scenes could be seen at Lodhi Garden, where children aged 6 to 9 joined their parents. "As a woman, yoga has made my life more manageable. Even daily chores feel easier now," said Suman Singh, 58, who had earlier attended another yoga camp at Pandara Road. Apart from NDMC, the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) also held yoga sessions across the city. At Baansera, lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena performed various yoga poses to showcase its wide-ranging benefits. Delhi Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh joined an MCD-led session and urged parents to instil yoga habits in children, saying, "Yoga is not just an exercise but a lifestyle. It is a priceless heritage of Indian culture, and everybody should do it regularly." The historic Purana Qila in the capital also witnessed the celebrations of the International Day For Yoga, in a joint collaboration between the ministry of culture and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Marking a confluence of heritage and ancient tradition, the ASI marked the day by organising yoga sessions at 81 monument sites across the country. From Adalaj Ki Vav in Gujarat to the Sun Temple in Konark, these architectural wonders served as backdrops for mass yoga participation by people of all ages.
Hindustan Times
19-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Delhi to see large scale Yoga events this year: CM Gupta
Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced that the Delhi government will host large-scale International Yoga Day celebrations across the city on June 21, marking what she said was a sharp shift from the approach of the previous administration. Speaking at the inauguration of an Ayurvedic kitchen at the Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan in her assembly constituency Shalimar Bagh, Gupta also underscored the significance of yoga as a cultural and spiritual cornerstone, not just a fitness trend. 'For the first time, the Delhi government will organise major yoga events at 11 different locations,' Gupta said. 'I will participate at the Yamuna riverbank and share a message encouraging people to embrace their cultural heritage and lifestyle.' She described the Yamuna as a personal symbol of commitment. 'I have a connection to the Yamuna. I want to keep looking at it, so I remember my duty to clean it,' she said. While the exact locations of the events remain unspecified, officials said these will span across the city and be open to the public. Taking aim at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led administration, Gupta alleged that yoga was routinely ignored in Delhi's policy framework. 'The earlier government saw yoga through a political lens because it is associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But now, with a government that belongs to the people, yoga is being embraced as a cultural and health-oriented movement,' she said. She added that yoga should be seen as part of India's philosophical and spiritual tradition, and not just a physical practice. 'It is the art of balanced living and must be part of every Indian's life,' she said. Gupta also used the occasion to highlight the growing global recognition of India's traditional systems of healing. 'People from across the world are placing their trust in Ayurveda, and Delhi is emerging as a hub for such treatments,' she said, while advocating for a daily lifestyle that includes alternative medicine, yoga, and millet-based diets. 'These practices have no side effects. They are part of our glorious cultural heritage. If we adopt them in our lives, our society and country will move forward in a healthy direction.' NDMC to hold camps at 8 locations Meanwhile, in the New Delhi area, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has drawn up plans for an equally expansive celebration. NDMC vice-chairperson Kuljeet Chahal said eight iconic venues have been selected to host yoga sessions, including Kartavya Path, Lodhi Garden, Talkatora Garden, Shanti Path, Central Park in Connaught Place, Pandara Park, New Moti Bagh, and Sanjay Jheel in Lakshmi Bai Nagar. 'These sessions will be held in collaboration with leading yoga organisations such as the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, Art of Living, Patanjali Yoga Samiti, Gayatri Parivar, and others,' Chahal said, adding that expected participation at each site ranges from 300 to 2,000 individuals. To build momentum ahead of the main event, preparatory yoga camps will be held daily at Lodhi Garden and Talkatora Garden until June 20. These camps aim to spread awareness and get residents physically and mentally ready for the big day. NDMC will also live-stream the Prime Minister's Yoga Day message across all venues and distribute yoga mats and branded T-shirts to participants. Digital branding materials will accompany the event to enhance visibility and outreach.
