New megacities lie in the path of devastating floods

Humanity’s future lies in some of the most vulnerable spots on the planet.

- David Fickling

Many fast-growing regions, such as the city of Hat Yai (above) in southern Thailand, have been hit by devastating floods in recent weeks. The monsoon belt from South-East Asia to West Africa is the swathe of the globe that is urbanising fastest, and where catastrophic rainfall is set to increase most dramatically. PHOTO: REUTERS

(REUTERS)

We've seen that in stark relief of late. A United Nations report in November concluded that the world’s population is increasingly crowded into a group of often low-lying, middle-income megacities in Asia and Africa.

Jakarta and Dhaka dethroned Tokyo’s long-held status as the world’s biggest city, with 42 million, 37 million and 33 million people, respectively. Mexico City and Sao Paulo were overtaken by Shanghai and Cairo among the global top 10. Bangkok, Delhi, Karachi, Lagos, Luanda and Manila were some of the fastest growing among metropolises of more than 10 million.

Many of these very regions have been hit by a devastating run of floods in recent weeks. The monsoon belt from Southeast Asia to West Africa is at the same time the swathe of the globe that is urbanising fastest, and the one where catastrophic rainfall is set to increase most dramatically.

Nearly 1,000 people have been killed in a wave of storms that have stretched from Sri Lanka to Vietnam, with more than 442 dead in the north of Indonesia’s Sumatra island and at least 160 fatalities in southern Thailand.