Last month, even as parts of north India were reeling under heat wave, many places in Karnataka, including Bengaluru, were suffered large-scale destruction caused by heavy pre-monsoon showers. In fact, the quantum of rainfall recorded in the State from March 1 to May 31 was 105% above normal.
Climate change is here to stay, and the imprints of changes in climatic conditions, says the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), are in the form of high-impact weather events. The State has witnessed an increase in such events in both frequency and intensity in the last decades, as also hydro-meteorological disasters such as drought, flood, hailstorm, cyclone and heatwave.
“During the past few years, the entire State witnessed extreme events in the Western Ghats and parts of the interior district. A significant increase in the rainfall is observed in Kolar for the pre-monsoon season, and a decreasing trend is observed in northeast monsoon for the north interior Karnataka (NIK) region. The main reason for these extreme events can be attributed to the active phase of monsoon season coupled with La Nina and positive / Neutral Indian Ocean Dipole (IDL) conditions over the State,” explained Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, KSDMA.
