Thursday, July 31News That Matters

Meghalaya Faces Sharpest Rainfall Deficit in India, Raising Alarms for Farmers and Biodiversity

Once known as the ‘Abode of Clouds’ Meghalaya now leads the country in monsoon rainfall deficit, sparking concerns over its climate future.
Meghalaya, long revered for its relentless rains and lush green landscapes, is witnessing a stunning shift. This monsoon, the state recorded the highest rainfall deficit in India a staggering 56% threatening its rain-fed agriculture, fragile biodiversity and water security.

Between June 1 and July 28, the state received just 690.7 mm of rainfall against a seasonal normal of 1,555.4 mm. Surprisingly, even drier states like Jharkhand saw more rainfall during the same period, with Jharkhand recording 732.6 mm a 53% surplus.

The trend isn’t just seasonal. Long-term analyses show a worrying decline in rainfall across central and northern Meghalaya, especially in the once-drenched regions of Cherrapunji and Mawsynram. A 2022 study using Standard Precipitation Index (SPI) data from 1951 to 2020 highlighted the expansion of drier zones in the state, particularly in the western and central districts.

Cherrapunji, the world second wettest place, has seen declining rainfall in seven out of twelve months over a 135-year period, from 1872 to 2007 according to research from Cotton University. The IMD also lists Meghalaya among five Indian states with a significant drop in southwest monsoon rainfall from 1989 to 2018.

This drying trend has far-reaching implications. Over 83% of Meghalaya population depends on rain-fed agriculture, and nearly half its land is cultivable. Declining rainfall puts local crops and food security at risk. It may also alter delicate ecosystems in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot home to countless endemic plant and animal species.

Experts are calling for deeper research and urgent climate-adaptive planning. With climate change intensifying across the region, Meghalaya identity as a rain-soaked paradise may become a thing of the past unless swift, sustainable action is taken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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