IMD records, rainfall pattern point to troubling days ahead
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: August 26, 2022 -

WITH exception of the recent landslide in Noney district in late June that claimed the lives of over 50, left scores injured and bodies of some untraceable, Manipur hadn't witnessed natural disasters that caused collateral damages on such massive scale so far.

However, while periodical incidents of landslides and floods are tell-tale signs of the impeding threat from global warming, the recent report that northeast India recorded lowest rainfall this July, which is supposed to be one of the wettest months, in 122 years could be construed as confirmation that the day is not far off when degeneration of the natural environment would be unsparing.

According to the report of India Meteorological Department (IMD), the NE registered a 44 per cent deficit in rainfall for the month of July, even as the rest of the country received ample rains.

As per the IMD, against the average expected rainfall of 424.1 mm, the northeast region received 234.6 millimetres (mm) of rain during the month of July, which was the lowest since 1901, whereas the national rainfall record has been put at 3277 millimetres (mm).

Unsurprisingly, the poor rainfall in east and north-eastern part of the country has affected the sowing season directly as had been pointed out in the IMD report that sowing till mid-August was 26 per cent lower compared to 2021.

Apart from the global warming phenomenon consequently leading to reduction of rainfall amount in the regions across India known to receive more rainfall, persistence of the same trend would mean that the northeast region will be the hardest hit.

Thus, as scientists carry out intense researches and monitor the changes to understand climate change impacts on the country, governments in the northeast need to frame state-specific policies to at-least lessen the imminent adverse fallout of the worsening environmental condition on their fragile socio-economic potentials.

With the IMD predicting that below-normal rains would continue until the end of August over many parts of the west coast, some regions of east, east-central and North East India it would be presumptuous to conclude that food producers in the northeast region are staring at an uncertain future.

As the agriculture sector in almost all the north-eastern is still dependent on seasonal rainfall one can easily perceive that challenges posed by the climate change will only magnify in the coming years.

Without an iota of doubt, Manipur is already reeling under the impact of the global warming as is evident from paddy fields developing cracks amid outcries over shortage in urea supply to the farmers.

Even more frightening finding by the IMD is that the average maximum temperature in east and North East India was the highest in 122 years, with 33-75 degrees Celsius breaking the earlier record of 32.66 degrees Celsius recorded in 2009 for the month of July.

All these records underscore that climate change is a threat which the regional governments need to accord top priority as to lessen its impact.

For a state like Manipur where 90 per cent of the geographical area is hilly terrain, it could be predicted that extreme rainfall and drought-like situation will be common.