The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Untimely rain points to climate change

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Friday, Mar 21, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Untimely rain points to climate change

K.P.M. Basheer

‘Abrupt temperature changes an indicator’

Call to get ready for dry spells also
Proper rain water storage sought

KOCHI: The out-of-season rainfall that hit Kerala over the past week and caused crop damage, loss of life and flooding is a clear indication that climate change, induced by global warming, is happening in the coastal State.

Worse, it can also be a warning of an outbreak of infectious diseases.

“The unusual rainfall is by far the most telling evidence that climate change has hit Kerala,” says atmospheric scientist C.K. Rajan, who heads Cochin University’s Centre for Monsoon Studies.

“It shows that we have no way to escape from the reality of climate change.”

Dr. Rajan told The Hindu that it was the low pressure in the sea spurred by a rise in sea temperature that caused the unusual rainfall which was hard to forecast. The rainfall might continue for a few more days.

Asked if the current rain would affect the normal June-August southwest monsoon, Dr. Rajan said it could be yes, no or both. “Global warming has made long-term weather forecasting pretty hard,” he noted.

The midsummer rain has so far claimed five lives and Rs.32 crore worth of crop loss in about 2,000 hectares. Alappuzha is the worst-hit district with extensive crop damage in the Kuttanad region.

Abrupt changes in precipitation and temperature are the main characteristics of climate change. Rising global temperatures will bring changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels and increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather.

Dr. Rajan says that it was high time the government, local authorities and the public took steps to reduce the impact of climate change. Water shortage and outbreak of diseases could be two of the major possible outcomes of climate change in Kerala.

Last year, there was excess monsoon rainfall.

This year, there has been this unusual rainfall which is positive in terms of water availability. “But, who knows, the next onslaught can be a long dry spell.” So, Dr. Rajan suggests, the public and the government should go in for water storage on a long-term basis.

Climate change can trigger outbreak of infections. Last year’s outbreak of chikungunya had taken scores of lives and had a debilitating impact on the State’s public health. Of late, there had been reports of jaundice attack at many places.

“There is a strong possibility of new bacteria starting new infections,” Dr. Rajan warns.

Rise in temperature will help bacteria survive longer. To help check outbreak of diseases, public hygiene is a key factor. Reckless dumping of garbage at opens spaces, clogged drains and sewage lines, and dirty roads invite infections.

The unexpected rainfall is expected to ease water shortage during the remainder of the summer. It raised water levels in village wells across the State.

However, KSEB sources said, the rainfall had not yet made any significant inflow into the reservoirs. The Idukki reservoir, the largest in the State, did not make any appreciable level rise.

Officials said that if the rain continued for a few more days, the reservoir level was sure to rise and thus ease the power supply position.

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