CHENNAI: The amount of rain has decreased in river basins with surplus water and increased in basins with deficit water, according to the findings of a research conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) and the IIT-Bombay (IIT-B) on rainfall patterns during the Indian summer monsoon period in the past century.
According to a statement from IIT-M, the observation is important as it contradicted the traditional notion of dry areas becoming drier and wet areas becoming wetter in response to climate change. Using the Indian Meteorological Department’s daily rainfall data for the period of 1901-2004 and by conducting simulation studies, the research team has gained surprising insights that are critical not only for understanding geographic variations in seasonal rainfall in India but also for framing long-term water management policies of the country.
The researchers have cautioned that the reasons for the unusual pattern of rainfall remain unclear and rigorous hypothesis-driven models and process studies are required. The observations would serve as a launchpad for future scientific studies on the root causes of regional vagaries of rainfall, the statement said.