Palakkad: The temperature in Palakkad, the hottest district in the state, is rising alarmingly and has touched 40 degrees celsius in the first week of March. The experts at the Integrated Rural Technology Centre at Mundur here said that the lack of northeast monsoon (Thulavarsham) in the district had led to quick loss of moisture in the soil. The humidity in the atmosphere is also very low. Going by the trend, there was possibility of the mercury levels touching 42 degrees celsius this season, they noted. The highest temperature recorded till now was 41.9 degrees celsius at Malampuzha in 2016.
“The other concern is the long duration of high temperature levels ranging from 38-39 degrees celsius that would soon lead to severe drought conditions this summer.” “If there is no frequent summer rain, there is a possibility of summer heat touching new highs this year,” Mr B.M. Musthafa, research co-ordinator at IRTC, said. Another notable change he pointed out was that of heavy rain in short spells during south-west monsoon (July-August) though in 2017 there was more rainfall compared to 2016, when the shortage of rainfall was from 35 to 48 per cent in Palakkad. Such changes in climate have gradually taken place in past 20 years, he noted.
The night temperature in the district is coming down. At present it is around 24ºC, he said. Experts cited Vadakar-apathi panachayat in the district bordering TN as an example for climate change. “The panchayat gets no proper rain even during south-west monsoon and the water levels in borewells went down to even 1,000 ft,” they said. The cropping pattern has changed in the area with farmers choosing maize as the crop which could grow in warmer conditions,” they said.
