What happened?
On 17 July, 1,614 weather stations in the central Chinese province of Henan saw rainfall exceed levels above 100 mm. On 19 July, major rivers burst, reservoirs were breached, and the streets of a dozen cities in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou were flooded after the continued downpour. Train services were suspended, highways were closed and flights were cancelled. On 21 July, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Bureau initiated level III emergency response rescue work.and have evacuated close to 100,000 people to safe zones. On 22 July, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a televised statement: "Flood prevention efforts have become very difficult,". The death toll currently stands at 56, with five people still reported to be missing.

On 22 July, in India, heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in the western states of Maharashtra and Goa. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi assured Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray of all possible support from the Centre to mitigate the situation arising in various parts of the state. On 24 July, the death toll rose to 76 and injured 38 others. In the neighboring state of Goa, one person died, around 1,000 houses were damaged and hundreds were evacuated from low-lying parts after heavy rains led to one of the worst floods in nearly 40 years.

What is the background? 
First, the intense, unusual rain patterns. China and India have always been prone to annual floods from torrential rains and the associated damage to life and property. Global Times reported that meteorologists attributed the recent unusual rains in China to the topography of the region and the typhoon "Yanhua", near South China. The Zhengzhou weather bureau said that the rainfall from 17 July to 20 July, matched a level seen only "once in a thousand years". The provincial city, which recorded the heaviest rainfall in 60 years, received almost equivalent of its annual average rainfall in just a matter of three days. 
Mumbai in India's west coast also received up to 594 mm of rainfall in just over 24 hours, causing landslides and flooding in low-lying areas. Maharashtra is currently recording its heaviest rainfall in over four decades.  The recent anomalies in the rainfall patterns in the regions seem to be an indication of potential rising global temperatures and the resulting extreme weather conditions. Close to 70 per cent of the world population is expected to experience greater instances of flooding, affecting food, farming and the economy if global warming goes unchecked.  According to a report published by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in April, the climate crisis is making the monsoons in these regions stronger. 

Second, the crumbling infrastructural facilities. China is home to more than 98,000 reservoirs, which were developed to tackle the severity of the annual floods in the region. However, more than 80 per cent of them pose a safety risk making it unclear if these dams could sustain the rising gravity of floods in the future. The recent rains led the water in nine large reservoirs and 40 medium-sized reservoirs in Henan to exceed their warning levels. In addition, two dams in Inner Mongolia collapsed and two others suffered a breach in the past week. While the Indian monsoons are a common yearly phenomenon, the poorly constructed buildings and walls tend to buckle after just a few days of non-stop rain. Nearly 120 bunds, dams and waterworks have been submerged by overflowing rivers in the Kolhapur region. The authorities were forced to move people out of vulnerable areas as water from dams threatened to overflow in these areas. Landslides in the Raigad near Mumbai have trapped close to 53 people and have buried homes under layers of mud.

Third, level of local preparedness. Much like in Germany and Belgium, the lack of preparedness, inaccurate weather forecasts and the slow reaction to the situation have been a common cause of public scrutiny and criticism. The provincial weather bureau and the subway operators in Zhengzhou came under fire to a lack early warnings and quick action during the crisis. The confusing disaster alert system or the complete absence of it in rural India have also contributed to confusion and discord.

Fourth, flood prevention and drainage systems. Rapid urbanization and the lack of permeable land to drain water have been touted as major contributors to waterlogging during rains. About 98 per cent of China's 654 major cities are vulnerable to flooding. Much of Mumbai also lies just above sea level, making floods an annual cause of mayhem in the city. Some of Mumbai's drainage systems are either almost a century old or have remained incomplete, like the Brimstowad Project. The recent catastrophe has served as a clear warning for urban planners to consider floodplains and natural basins when designing new cities. 

Fifth, interruptions in the supply chain. The Henan province is a major economic, manufacturing, logistics and transportation hub with high-speed rail lines. The disruption in transportation has threatened the supply of some goods in the short run. Similarly, thousands of trucks were stuck for more than 24 hours on a highway linking Mumbai with the southern technology hub of Bengaluru, after the roads were submerged in some areas. The Pune-Bengaluru National Highway was also rendered unusable for traffic after waterlogging in the region. 

What does it mean?
China, the world's largest contributor to greenhouse emissions, now joins the long list of countries currently reeling under the effects of harsh weather conditions. While the floods in India have been an annual cause of concern, the flood mitigation and adaptation efforts still remain poorly planned and executed.

What China, India and many other countries lack today in their drive towards disaster preparedness are new investments in technology. These investments are most often lost in the bureaucratic red tapes of extremely centralized systems.  With extreme climatic conditions hitting more countries in the past few weeks, there is now a greater need and incentive to mitigate natural hazards and tackle climate change.