WEB DESK: Fresh rainfall forecasts for Thursday, December 4, have sparked concerns over further devastation in flood-stricken Indonesia and Sri Lanka, following earlier deluges that claimed over 1,500 lives across four countries.
In Indonesia, meteorologists have predicted “moderate to heavy” rain in three severely impacted provinces on Sumatra island between Thursday and Friday. Although the downpour started overnight, its intensity has thus far remained below the levels that triggered last week’s catastrophic flash floods and landslides.
As of Thursday, the death toll in Indonesia stands at 776, slightly adjusted from the previous day as updates trickle in from remote and isolated regions. Meanwhile, more than 560 people continue to be unaccounted for, with disrupted communication and power outages complicating efforts to locate them.
While seasonal monsoons across Asia traditionally bring crucial rainfall for agriculture, the increasing impact of climate change has rendered these weather patterns more unpredictable, uneven, and dangerous across the region.
Two distinct weather systems caused torrential rainfall last week across Sri Lanka, Sumatra, southern Thailand, and northern Malaysia, exacerbating the crisis and presenting significant challenges for relief operations.
In Sri Lanka, meteorologists expect the arrival of the northeast monsoon by Thursday afternoon. Landslide warnings have been reissued for some severely affected areas in the central region, with residents urged to stay away as waterlogged slopes are at risk of collapsing under additional rainfall.
The disaster has claimed 479 lives in Sri Lanka so far, with hundreds still missing. The president has called for international assistance as authorities estimate that up to $7 billion will be required to reconstruct homes, infrastructure, and industries—a daunting goal for a nation still recovering from its most severe economic crisis three years ago.
