All regions in the world face the clear and present danger of climate change, and Kerala is no exception. The State’s monsoon pattern is shifting, with rainfall peaking in August instead of July in recent years. In 2018 and 2022, rainfall levels in August exceeded that of June and July on many days. However, there has been minimal loss of life and relatively much lesser flood damage in the State this year as compared to 2018. While it is true that the intensity of rainfall was relatively lower in 2022, the introduction of new dam management concepts, relying on global weather models besides IMD predictions and improved communication with downstream flood measurement stations helped keep the reservoir levels under control and prevented river water from breaching the banks.
August anomaly
In both 2018 and 2022, Kerala recorded copious amounts of rainfall on many days of August, exceeding the levels seen in June and July. This is a shift in the State’s rainfall pattern — August, in general, receives lower rainfall than June and July, as the Long Period Average (LPA) indicates.
