In January 2020, we officially entered into a new decade. It was a brand new start, a milestone reached. When we were still planning out the next decade of our lives, 2020 had just started to unfurl. A microscopic virus heralded the mishappenings of 2020. A deadly contagion, global pandemic, volcanic eruptions, floods, wildfires, cyclones, police brutality, protests, conspiracy theories, 2020 has seen it all.
Here is a list of the 10 worst events of 2020.
1# COVID-19 Pandemic
First reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, COVID-19 has spread to 213 countries and their territories. WHO declared COVID-19 as its worst global health emergency. Nearly 1 million people have already lost their lives to this contagious disease. Besides taking a toll on the people, COVID-19 has hit the global economy real hard. As fatalities grew exponentially, quarantines and full-scale lockdowns were imposed. Most economic activity came to a stand still. COVID-19 statistics can be seen here.
2# “Black Summer” Bushfires of Australia
The 2019-2020 Australian mega bushfires burnt close to 18.6 million hectares down to ashes, destroyed over 5900 buildings, over 500 people were killed directly or indirectly and a billion animal lost their lives. Smoke blanketed the country’s skyline, ashfall was experienced in many parts of the country. It is called “Black Summer” bushfires owing to the extent of damage caused.
3# Locust Swarms of biblical proportions in Africa and Asia
South-west Asia saw the worst locust crisis in nearly 30 years and for Kenya, it was the worst locust plague in 70 years! This year, locust swarms have infested 23 countries so far, stripped acres and acres of cultivated fields of their crops. Today, nearly 20 million people are facing severe acute food insecurity in African countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and few others.
4# Super-cyclone Amphan of East India and Bangladesh
At the time when India and neighboring countries was battling fast surging COVID-19 cases, a powerful tropical super cyclone hit the coastal areas of eastern India and Bangladesh. On 18th May, the monstrous cyclone made landfall in West Bengal, India. Over 130 lives were lost, nearly 500,000 families were rendered homeless in both the countries. Massive damage to property and infrastructure was reported. Amphan became the second strongest recorded cyclone in the Bay of Bengal after Odisha’s super cyclone of 1999 that killed 10,000 people.
5# Beirut Explosion
A powerful bomb blast rocked Beirut on the evening of August 4. The blast emanated from Beirut’s port, where 2,750 tonnes of highly explosive ammonium nitrate was being stored. People saw a mushroom cloud of smoke and blast debris in the air and soon after a supersonic blast wave radiated through the city. At least 157 people were killed, over 6,000 injured and as many as 300,000 people have been rendered homeless. $5 billion worth of property damage has been reported.
6# Volcanic eruptions in Philippines
Taal volcano, in Philippines, erupted on the afternoon of January 12, 2020, 43 years after its previous eruption in 1977. An alert level of 4 was issued for the volcanic activity, 5 being the maximum. The volcano spewed out magma, ash, debris as high as 10 kilometers into the sky. Ashfall was experienced in many parts of the country. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that a total 0f 2484 earthquakes had been recorded during the intense volcanic activity. State of calamity was declared. Following the eruption, large scale evacuations were carried out. 39 people died.
7# Russia’s Norilsk oil spill
Russia announced a state of emergency as nearly 21,000 tonnes of diesel oil from Norilsk-Taimyr Energy’s Thermal Power Plant spilled into two rivers: the Ambarnaya river and the Daldykan. Reportedly, the disaster happened because a fuel storage tank at the power plant facility failed. The Norilsk oil spill is the second-largest oil spill in modern Russian history. Experts say that the clean-up could even take anywhere between five to ten years. Environmentalists are concerned as the Ambarnaya river flows into the Arctic Ocean which already is reeling under the effects of global warming.
8# Communal Riots in Delhi, India
The 2020 Delhi riots started on 23rd February, 2020 and were the result of fallout from the Citizenship (Amendment) Act that did not go well with certain section of the society. 53 people were killed and many others were injured. The Paramilitary Forces, Rapid Action Force (RPF) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed to keep the riots in check.
9# Police brutality on the black population in the United States
On 25th May 2020, the police caught George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after he used a counterfeit $20 bill at a supermarket. In an attempt to arrest, a police officer applied neck restraint or chokehold on Floyd for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while Floyd was handcuffed with his face down on the ground. Floyd died on the spot. People across the United States, also globally, held protests and expressed solidarity with Floyd. This incident further worsened discrimination based on racism and injustice against black or non-white communities in the United States. #TheShowMustBePaused, #Blacklivesmatter, #icantbreathe started trending on social media.
10# Flash Floods of Indonesia
Flash Floods hit Indonesia on the wee hours of 1st January, 2020. Major cities including Jakarta were affected. Due to incessant rains, 5ft. deep muddy waters entered residential houses. As many as 70 people were killed and around 400 thousand people were rendered homeless. Transport was severely hit.
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