Short affidavit on behalf of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) in terms of the National Green Tribunal order dated January 22, 2025. The application was registered suo motu by the NGT on the basis of a news item titled "Toxic kilns pollution Aravallis; wildlife and locals suffer" appearing …
Just imagine: floods in dry Rajasthan; drought in wet Assam. In both cases, devastation has been deadly, with people struggling to cope. But are these natural disasters or human-made disasters signs of change of the world's climate systems? Or are these simply the result of mismanagement so that people already …
Monthly and 3-hourly precipitation data from twentieth-century climate simulations by the newest generation of 18 coupled climate system models are analyzed and compared with available observations. The characteristics examined include the mean spatial patterns, intraseasonal-to-interannual and ENSO-related variability, convective versus stratiform precipitation ratio, precipitation frequency and intensity for different precipitation …
Entire Himalayan region is vulnerable to rain-induced (torrential rainfall) hazards in the form of flash flood, cloudburst or glacial lake outburst flood. Flash floods and cloudburst are generally caused by high intensity rainfall followed by debris flow or landslide often resulting into blockade of river channels. The examples of some …
Drought is a major constraint affecting rice production especially in rainfed areas of Asia. Despite its importance in rice growing areas, the magnitude of economic losses arising from drought, its impact on farm households and farmers’ drought coping mechanisms are poorly understood. This paper provides insights into these aspects of …
Fossil fuel burning releases about 25 Pg of CO2 per year into the atmosphere, which leads to global warming (Prentice et al., 2001). However, it also emits 55 Tg S as SO2 per year (Stern, 2005), about half of which is converted to sub-micrometer size sulfate particles, the remainder being …
a recent study at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, usa , claims that the combined effect of air pollution (aerosols/particulate matter) and greenhouse gases may induce greater variability in the Indian monsoon
The 20th century had been the wettest in the high mountains of northern Pakistan in the last millennium, according to a team of Swiss and German scientists. In a study, published in the April 27 issue of Nature (Vol 440, No 7088), they reported that the Karakoram and Himalayan mountains …
rapid atmospheric warming is causing a widening of the tropical region, according to a team of researchers led by the University of Washington in the us . The scientists analysed satellite data from 1979 to 2005 on temperature over subtropical areas (between 23.5
in the first-ever major study on monsoon in an Indian state, researchers have found that annual rainfall in Orissa has been declining significantly over the last two decades. There has been a small but steady decrease in the number of rainy days as well. The rainfall has been less than …
Intense rainfall often leads to floods and landslides in the Himalayan region even with rainfall amounts that are considered comparatively moderate over the plains; for example, ‘cloudbursts’, which are devastating convective phenomena producing sudden high-intensity rainfall (∼10 cm per hour) over a small area. Early prediction and warning of such …
For over a decade, Orissa has been teetering from one extreme weather condition to another: from heatwaves to cyclones, drought to floods. The state has been declared disaster-affected for 95 of the last 105 years. Why is this happening? Is it the result of global warming and climate change? Richard …
This paper has three parts: The first, an analysis of 192 news reports in a Marathi daily, Deshonnati, cites 320 cases of farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra reported during 2004. A study of circumstances reveals multiple risk factors – economic downfall, agrarian crisis, and social disgrace among others. Indebtedness, a manifestation …
Being an integral effect of sub-seasonal rain spells over the season, the seasonal mean south Asian monsoon (SAM) rainfall could be affected by change in the length of the rainy season (LRS). An objective definition of the duration of the SAM season has, however, been lacking. Here we show that …
Water is important for economic development, and many parts of India already face issues of water scarcity. This study predicts that intensity of rainfall will increase under climate change. Issues such as water scarcity may also become more prevalent. The marked rise in precipitation intensity and variability in extremes will …
South Asian emissions of fossil fuel SO2 and black carbon increased 6-fold since 1930, resulting in large atmospheric concentrations of black carbon and other aerosols. This period also witnessed strong negative trends of surface solar radiation, surface evaporation, and summer monsoon rainfall. These changes over India were accompanied by an …
Two cases of intense western disturbances which affected the northwest India have been investigated using the India Meteorological Department’s operational limited area analysis and forecast system. The model results are compared with the synoptic observations, which have been enriched by additional stations installed under the national project ‘Parwat’. The analysis …
Rainfall and maximum and minimum temperature data of 32 years (1970-2001) at Semiliguda, Koraput (Orissa) were analysed to study the weekly, monthly and yearly drought investigation by studying the water balance. The IMD method was adjusted more suitable for drought identification than the revised IMD method. Frequency analysis was done …
Western Ghats form the catchment of all the 44 rivers that sustain the agroeconomy of Kerala. A study was conducted to assess the effect of land use on runoff from small watersheds of Western Ghats. Three small mono-culture watersheds, planted with cashew, coffee, tea and one small watershed with dense …
Extreme climate events such as aridity, drought, flood, cyclone and stormy rainfall are expected to leave an impact on human society. They are also expected to generate widespread response to adapt and mitigate the sufferings associated with these extremes. Societal and cultural responses to prolonged drought include population dislocation, cultural …
It is the singlemost important event in India. It affects the fate of a farmer as much as it determines political careers. The most important variable in the Indian economy. The single-biggest transfer of mass from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere. The most regular visitor to India, and …
