Visakhapatnam: Statistics obtained from the National Data Centre, Pune, and the Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad, indicate that there has been an increase in rainfall received by the urban areas of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana over the years. This trend has been attributed to unusually high surface heat coupled with a lack of vegetation in cities. Since cities are hotter, the atmosphere is able to hold more moisture, which translates to higher precipitation.
The Vizag city witnessed an increase in rainfall from 1991 to 2010, at the rate of 4.09 mm per year. Meanwhile, the rainfall received by Vizag airport increased only by 2.01 mm per year. However, in 2010, Vizag airport had received the same volume of rainfall as the city. Evidence indicates that there was a corresponding increase in urbanisation on the outskirts of Vizag city during this period.
The data indicates that the number of rainy days witnessed by the urban areas of AP and Telangana has also increased. Dr K. Nagaratna, the head of weather forecasting at the Meteorological Centre, said that the study has been carried out by collecting daily rainfall data for a period of 50 years, from 1964 to 2014, from the urban stations and stations on the outskirts of urban areas in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
She said the study reveals that there has been a significant increase in rainfall in Gannavaram, Machilipatnam, and Visakhapatnam in coastal AP and Hyderabad. The study concludes that urbanisation has played a key role in the increase in seasonal rainfall and other forms of precipitation experienced by some cities.
