AP, Telangana experience lower rainfall rates, shows study

Hyderabad: Scientists from Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture have presented a localised picture of the impact of climate change and have developed a vulnerability map of all districts in the country to climate change. The CRIDA study was led by Dr C.A. Rama Rao of the institute.

In the vulnerability index developed by the scientists in Andhra Pradesh, Chittoor and Anantapur districts fall in the ‘very high’ vulnerability category, Kurnool in the ‘high’ category, Kadapa in ‘medium’ and  Prakasam in the ‘low’ categories.

In Telangana, as per the new districts, Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy and Nagarkurnool fall in the ‘high’ vulnerability category and Hyderabad, Sangareddy, Medak, Nirmal, Adilabad and Komaram Bheem in the ‘medium’ category.

In the districts found to be vulnerable to climate change in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh poor July rainfall was found to be an important factor why the districts are more exposed to climate change whereas low overall rainfall was found to be the reason behind high sensitivity.

Various studies have detected significant rise in annual mean temperatures across country including in Telangana and AP apart from increase in trends like forest fires and falling groundwater levels.

Maximum negative deviation in monsoon rainfall this year among all districts in AP was detected in Chittoor and Ananthapur, the two districts which CRIDA scientists said are the most vulnerable in Telugu states to climate change.

While rainfall deviated by -48.6 per cent in Chittoor, it was by -44 per cent in Anantapur. The monsoon had no positive impact on groundwater level in the two districts; in Chittoor it fell by 2.62 metres below ground level (mbgl) in October whereas in Anantapur it fell by 2.30 mbgl.

Dr S. Vijaya Bhaskar Rao of Sri Venkateswara University whose rese-arch titled ‘Climate change perspectives through study on aerosols, atmospheric modelling and remote sensing’ won the university’s physics department Centers with Potential for Excellence in Particular Areas grant from UGC says, “There have been very visible climatic changes in not just Chittoor and Anantapur but in other places as well ranging from decreasing rainfall, delay in onset of monsoon to abnormalities in maximum temperatures and heat waves. The reasons are manmade like change in land use pattern, deforestation, overexploitation of groundwater and vehicular emissions.”