A recent study has found a significant decrease in the amount of rainfall in Cherrapunji (Meghalaya)- an important source of livelihood for the locals. Declining rainfall is a global concern as this phenomenon is caused by climate change. This article from the Hindu shows how the datasets of over 100 years show that the rainfall levels have declined at Cherrapunji.
The annual mean rainfall for the period 1973–2019 showed decreasing trends of about 0.42 mm per decade. It was statistically significant along seven stations (Agartala, Cherrapunji, Guwahati, Kailashahar, Pasighat, Shillong and Silchar).
Rising Temperature: Increasing sea surface temperatures in the tropical Indian Ocean region is the prime reason for the decline of monsoon rainfall in the southwestern Indian subcontinent over the past decades.
Increased Human Activities: The latest study has given mathematical expression of these long-held beliefs. It shows that the northeast India’s rainfall patterns are becoming similar to those in western China, which show increasing trends when the temperature increases. The study also shows that human activities ― cutting of forests and rates of evaporation due to newer land-use practices ― are probably contributing to the declining trend.
North-East India comprises of eight states, out of which 7 are landlocked. Six of the states are made up of the Himalayan regions and hence are highly sensitive to changes in regional and global climate. The region has witnessed some of the worst droughts and floods in its history, and extreme climate events. Experts have also warned that due to extreme weather events, North-East India may face a significant increase in temperature by 2100.
The importance of the northeast region of India cannot be overemphasized, because with a moderate climate, rich biodiversity and also due to the effect of global climate change quite evident in the region. It has to be noted that the first signs of the effect of climate change will be evident for the extreme cases such as the rainfall at Cheerapunji.
The North-East region is the gateway to India’s biosphere. It has the highest vegetation cover in India and includes eighteen of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, indicating the importance of this region in terms of its greenery and climate change sensitivity.
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