Bengaluru is fighting blistering heat and a major water crisis. Which indicates India may be bracing for a tough year ahead and a tougher future for agriculture.
Recent studies have indicated that a majority of Bengaluru’s surface area has been turned into concrete. Bengaluru like much of India has been pushing infrastructure development.
Buildings, roads, and bridges are needed for a growing population. A recent study finds that Bengaluru in particular has lost 93% of its lakes & forest cover since the 1970’s.
Lack of Precipitation
Other major concerns such as lack or precipitation are not just hitting Bengaluru, or even India but many parts of the world. Winter storms that provide crucial snow and rainfall are arriving significantly later in the year compared to 70 years ago.
A new study has found, exacerbating the risk of catastrophic flooding while also reducing vital water supplies for millions of residents of India and other countries around the world.
The cyclonic storms, known as western disturbances, typically bring heavy snow to areas such as the Himalayas. Much of the precipitation falls from December to March. The snowpack melts in spring, providing a steady supply of irrigation water for wheat and other crops downstream.
Late Season Storms
The study, published in the journal Weather and Climate Dynamics, reveals that western disturbances are occurring more often during India’s summer, similar to the other countries.
In North America, winter starts appear to occur later in the year while more winter snowfalls occur well into Spring.
Over the past 70 years, winter storms have increased in frequency by 60% from April to July. While in turn reducing snowfall precipitation during the reminder of the year increasing the risk of heavy flooding.
According to the author Dr. Kieran Hunt, of the University of Reading, Strong storms are now twice as likely to occur in the north of India in June compared to 70 years ago.
With warmer and moister air at this time of year, these late storms are dumping heavy rainfall instead of snow. This raises the risk of deadly flooding like we saw in Uttarakhand in 2013 and around Delhi in 2023.
“Some areas of Kashmir see no snow at all during December or January. This is a serious concern for the 750 million people in the Indus and upper Ganges basins who rely on these winter snowfalls for water supplies. The loss of winter snow and the increase of late-season storms heightens flood risks.”
– Dr. Kieran Hunt
Weather Pattern Shifts
Research teams attributes seasonal weather pattern shifts to changes in the subtropical jet stream. As well as high-altitude air currents that steers western disturbances in different directions.
The rapid warming of the Tibetan Plateau is creating a wider temperature contrast with its surrounding areas. the result is fuelling a stronger jet stream that powers more frequent and intense storms.
The Tibetan Plateau is a long stretch of level high ground at the intersection of Central, South, and East Asia.
Global warming is weakening the temperature difference between the equator and poles. This temperature difference normally draws the jet stream northward in summer, which it has done less of lately.
The result is an increasingly lingering jet stream at southerly latitudes later into spring and summer. Which allows more storms to strike North India after the winter snow season has presumably finished or is nearly finished. Causing an influx of rainfall precipitation.
These increasingly frequent late-season storms during pre-monsoon heat, unleash heavy rainfall instead of snow, raising risks of devastating flooding. Meanwhile, winter snowfall is declining as the region warms, threatening spring water supplies.
