Flooding and landslides have taken a terrible toll on South and South-East Asia this past week, with at least 1,300 people dead and many hundreds more missing. The devastation in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia was caused by a deadly combination of multiple cyclones and heavy monsoon rains.
When events like these take place, dramatic images of individuals caught up in the chaos bring home to people anywhere in the world how severe the effects have been. That has certainly been the case over the past week, with photographers capturing the apparent disbelief of residents in Sri Lanka as they gaze at buildings that have collapsed because of mudslides. Other images show people struggling to make their way along roads that have turned into rivers.In this instance, satellite imagery too has vividly shown the impact of the floods, with vast swathes of green appearing to have become submerged with muddy water.
The UAE has been helping in a major way, with President Sheikh Mohamed having issued a directive for assistance to be sent. Search-and-rescue personnel and 20 tonnes of supplies have been sent.
In addition to assistance from the UAE authorities, Sri Lankans in the emirates have been donating aid supplies following calls for help from the consulate in Dubai.
Experts have said that climate change is likely to have increased the amount of rain that has fallen: an atmosphere that is 1°C warmer can hold seven per cent more water.
Countries such as the UAE, which suffered severe flooding in April last year, are investing heavily in drainage to cope with the changed reality.
However, many nations lack the resources to adapt, so floods like those of recent days and weeks could have an ever-greater impact in the years and decades to come.
Air pollution harms the brain as well as the lungs, study finds
That air pollution causes damage to the lungs and cardiovascular system is well known, but new research has highlighted how much wider its impact can be.
Research in India has found that children raised in more polluted areas tend to have lower IQs than youngsters brought up in locations with cleaner air.
The research was based on an analysis of levels of PM2.5s, tiny pollutant particles that are suspended in the air.
Read more about the findings in Nick Webster’s report here.
Could design make it comfortable outside in the UAE for eight months a year?
Typically, when temperatures rise in the UAE, the air conditioning is cranked up, but that is of little help outdoors.
However, clever design features, often inspired by the Gulf’s traditional buildings and neighbourhoods, can do much to make time spent outdoors more comfortable.
According to Kishore Varanasi, a designer with CBT Architects in the US, a company that been involved with multiple projects in the UAE, it should be possible in the Gulf to enjoy being outside for eight months of the year.
Read more about Mr Kishore’s approach to design here.
The big fact
To reduce harmful health impacts, exposure to PM2.5 fine particulate matter in the air should be no more than 5 µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic metre) when averaged over a year, the World Health Organisation states. When looked at on a national basis, just 12 countries meet this standard, according to research published in 2023.
Jargon buster
PM2.5 This is particulate matter, a form of suspended air pollution, with a diameter up to 2.5 micrometers. Sources include vehicles, industry and the burning of wood and coal. The tiny size of PM2.5s means that they can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to multiple effects on health.
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