ISLAMABAD, Mar 31 (APP): Nearly 1.4 billion people in South Asia-
India, Bangladesh, Pakistan – face at least one major threat from nature,
especially flooding, severe storms boosted by rising seas, and quakes, reveals a study.
According to Gulf News, countries and mega-cities across Asia are highly exposed to natural hazards ranging from cyclones to earthquakes, but people in sub-Saharan Africa are more vulnerable.
In the case of Bangladesh, 100 per cent of its population is exposed,
compared to 82 per cent for India and 70 per cent in Pakistan.
China, Indonesia, Japan and the Philippines are also among the nations
with the largest numbers of people in harm’s way.
The United States, Mexico and Brazil round out the top ten.
When it comes to vulnerability, however, Africa is the continent where
people are most likely to suffer injury, disease and death as a result of
natural disasters, according to the Natural Hazards Vulnerability Index from
risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft.
Nine out of ten countries ranked as most vulnerable to natural hazards
in the index are in sub-Saharan Africa, and 23 of 25 are on the continent.
South Sudan – plagued by drought and war – heads the list of the
countries most defenseless against disaster, followed by Burundi, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Chad, Niger, Sudan, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Tokyo and Jakarta and in second and third place, with Dongguan in
southern China, Dhaka and Kolkata following close behind.
Mexico City, Delhi and Sao Paulo all have huge populations exposed to
major storms.