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Shocked by the rains!
By: Archita Bhatta on Friday, 23 July 2010
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This year too it was erratic! The rains hit north India late.

As farmers in North India longed for the first spells of rain to drench their crops, the meteorological department said that the clouds were hovering over south west India. Then, when they proceeded northwards and the farmers hoped that it was an end to their patience, they were in for another rude shock.

It poured, flooding their land and destroying their crops.

Rainfall pattern over the Indian sub-continent has been growing more and more erratic. The worst sufferers are the monsoon dependent farmers who are loosing out both on account of lack of rain and intense untimely rainfall.

A research by M Rajeevan, Director of National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, published in Geophysical Research Letters in September 2008 says that extreme rainfall over India is increasing, while moderate rainfall is decreasing.

However it is this moderate rainfall that benefits the farmers. This is because it keeps the soil wet and recharges the ground water. The intense rainfall is not absorbed by the soil and flows away as runoff, draining away fertile top soil along with it. The intense rainfall also harms the crops-often grains are destroyed by the fast flowing water.

What magnifies this problem is that, we are already in the thick of the problem and still way behind in research about the nature of the problem. Thus solutions are a far cry.

Besides, the tools that can help us overcome this handicap are also absent. We do not have adequate meteorological data that can predict what lies ahead. Modeling expertise is lacking. On top of this, research says that with increase of extreme events, chances of error have also increased.

Changes are taking place are much faster rate than research can keep pace. The problem is that we are not oblivious to these damages. Most of us know the reasons behind these and also the consequences.  But we prefer to keep our minds shut to these--- that is easier than changing our habits of over consumption. It is time to question whether research can solve or give us ways to mend the fall out of our over consumptive habits. It is time to stop and reflect. It is time to get responsible.

 


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