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Bengaluru: Changing climatic conditions in the peninsular region appear to be producing an unexpected beneficiary in Karnataka’s hinterland, where shifting monsoon patterns over the years are bringing more rain to agricultural regions in the interior.
Contrary to the 10-15% decline in rainfall in coastal Karnataka and the western slopes of the Ghats, both northern and southern interior districts are receiving an additional 100-200 mm of monsoon rainfall, according to a recent study by agrometeorologists from Bengaluru. An analysis of rainfall data from 1901 to 2020, along with projected rainfall patterns up to 2035, by a group led by Prof MB Rajegowda, former professor of agrometeorology at University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Gandhi Krishi Vigyan Kendra (GKVK), Bengaluru, has revealed a dramatic redistribution of monsoon showers in the state. Releasing the study report in Bengaluru, Rajegowda said Karnataka’s average annual rainfall increased from 1,140 mm during 1900-1950 to 1,218 mm during 1980-2000, while the mercury levels went up by an average of 1.5 degrees Celsius. These areas have recorded a 10-15% decline in annual rainfall, while the interior districts have witnessed a significant rise in monsoon precipitation,” Rajegowda explained. “Nearly 75% of the clouds originating over the Indian Ocean and entering the western coast through the Arabian Sea release their moisture over the coastal belt and the western slopes of the Ghats. The remaining 25% cross the mountain range and move towards the plains in the hinterland,” the study stated.
The researchers believe this could reshape Karnataka’s agricultural landscape in the coming decades, with the Western Ghats acting as a crucial trigger for the shifting rainfall patterns. “The gain in rainfall has come at the expense of the coastal and western Ghat regions. Other climatic events like cyclones also contributed to the increased rainfall and its redistribution. The study attributes the gradual shift to the changing movement of moisture-laden monsoon clouds across the Western Ghats.