Washington, Nov 16: An Indian official has told climate experts at the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) meeting in Beijing that global warming is affecting the pattern of monsoon rains in Asia.
Devendra Fadnavis, a Nagpur-based legislator, said that climatic changes were causing the rains to strike at odd times or in the wrong places, with devastating effect.
The latest incidence of this phenomena were the rains in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra that wiped away 400 drought-struck villages and caused over 700 deaths, Fadnavis was quoted by The Nature magazine, as saying.
According to Fadnavis, Indian reservoirs have only filled up to 80 percent of their total capacity. But there has been a trend over the past five years for the monsoon in this area to be about a month late, said Fadnavis, who blames an unknown effect of climate change for the persistent delay.
Those in charge of water distribution should be more aware of changing climate patterns, Fadnavis argued.
"They must understand that this is a new ecological order. The planning should be shifted," he added.
Climate researchers themselves remain unsure whether there really is a long-term trend of delay in the monsoons.
Congbin Fu, a meteorologist, said: "This [delay] would be very important — it needs to be verified."
Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, an atmospheric chemist who works with the Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad and is involved with the Monsoon Asia project, said: "It's impossible to tell.
You need decades of data."
Bureau Report
