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In the aftermath of the worst flooding Kerala has experienced in nearly a century, we highlight the urgency of considering the long-term health consequences of floods, especially on young children.
Based on the recent Demographic and Health Survey data for India in 2015–2016, we provided evidence showing that abnormally wet conditions increased the likelihood of undernutrition for children aged under 5 as measured by stunting and wasting.
Experiencing floods during infancy, being a girs with illiterate mothers making a child particularly vulnerable to being stunted while living in the rural area increases the risk of being wasted due to floods.
We put forward that nutritional and water and sanitation interventions at the critical period of flood exposure can reverse the course of undernutrition which in turn can reduce the cost of poor human development in the long run.
Climate change and seasonal floods
The latest report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has warned that without substantial cuts in carbon dioxide emissions, the world will reach the threshold of 1.5°C warmer than preindustrial levels as early as in 2030. With 1.5°C warmer, some regions including South and Southeast Asia and Central Africa will experience an increase in flood hazard due to high flows.1 The increasing flood risks are alarming, especially their impacts on vulnerable populations with low coping and adaptive capacities. In particular, floods can have long-run impacts on health which in turn deteriorate human capital, a key driver of sustainable development. Using the example of the recent floods in Kerala, India, we discuss the potential impacts of floods on childhood development and present immediate measures to reverse the potential damage.
During the monsoon season this year, India has experienced a particularly high amount of rainfall. The data from India Meteorological Department show that from …