Record hot 2023? El Nino may add fuel to India's climate crisis https://www.business-standard.com/article/printer-friendly-version?article_id=123012200511_1 Shreya Jai & Sanjeeb Mukherjee 23/01/2023
traditionally, El Niño has not been good for Indian monsoons. Just how severe El Niño will be and whether it will happen will get clearer by March,” said the IMD chief.
We must watch out for what global warming is already doing and how El Niño will bump it up,” said Murtugudde.
Heatwaves in the North, drought in the Centre, floods in the East In 2009, India witnessed its last big drought in recent times and the worst in 30 years. Being an El Niño year, the southwest monsoon in India was almost 22 per cent less than normal, with deficient or scanty rains in 60 per cent
of the country.
“There is evidence that because of El Niño, we might even cross 2°C. This is double jeopardy as temperatures breaching 1.5°C will impact global climate as well,” he said, adding that landlocked states in Central India and Northwest states, including Delhi and Uttar Pradesh (UP), would face severe heatwaves.
At the same time, due to rainfall variance from Northwest India to Pakistan, Murtugudde said floods in northern Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Punjab are likely.
“Overall rainfall might be reduced, but we might still see floods. But parts of Delhi, Bihar, UP, and Chhattisgarh may see drought-like conditions,” he said. With every state set to face a different climate crisis, Bajpai said preparedness is the need of the hour.
“India as a sub-continent is threatened by this event. Every state needs to have a short-, medium-, and long-term climate adaptation strategy laid out,” said Bajpai.