Representational.
Climate change is not only causing heat waves across the subcontinent, but it is also causing altered rain patterns in India.
Cherrapunji is no longer the wettest area in India. Since 2001, Meghalaya has been receiving below-normal rainfall. Rajasthan has been getting above-normal rainfall since 2001.
What is considered low rainfall zones - like Kutch and Rajasthan - are now receiving more rainfall than typical. On the other hand, high-rainfall zones like Assam, Meghalaya, and Jharkhand are getting less rain. Experts think the rise in temperature by 1°C is the reason.
"The rainfall pattern is now shifting towards the west from the Northeast," said Dr Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences. The shift has already taken place and the rainfall pattern is moving towards the west which was a dry area. The Northeast and Western regions are like dipoles in terms of rainfall. And both regions are now equal in terms of rainfall. However, in the future, the west of India may see more rainfall than the Northeast.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), wet states are experiencing a dry spell and drought-prone states are receiving excess rain because global warming and climate change have altered the rainfall pattern. Experts have anaylsed the data since 1901.
Director General of Meteorology, Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said that climate change has increased the moisture-holding capacity of the dry states. An increase in temperature by 1°C has increased the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere by 7%.