The recent floods in Sikkim have turned the attention back on extreme weather events. Heavy rains and a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) led to the disaster in the northeastern state. India and its neighbourhood have seen a number of such events in recent years. South Asia is among the regions most vulnerable to climate change, with natural disasters such as floods being intensified by its effects, according to the World Bank.
About 100 instances of floods were reported during 2000-09 in India and 74 during 2010-19, according to EM-DAT, a database on international disasters. As many as 17 floods have