KOZHIKODE: The sweltering heat and rising mercury levels will continue to bother people in April and may even lead to water scarcity in many districts, an analysis by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) has indicated. As per the study, the state may witness the most number of hot days in the coming month.
“If we do not receive adequate summer rainfall, the excess use of available water resources for irrigation, industrial, and other domestic needs will ultimately trigger a decline in the quantum of surface and groundwater resources,” said CWRDM executive director Manoj P Samuel.
“Our study suggests the likelihood of rising temperatures across Kerala, more specifically in Kozhikode. The district has recorded a 14% deficit in annual rainfall. If summer rain fails to deliver, there will be a water crisis,” he said.
An analysis of the data from weather observatories at Kottaparamba in Kozhikode and Manimalakunnu in Ernakulam from June 2023 to March 2024 revealed a 14 % deficit in rainfall. The extreme rainfall in previous years that triggered flash floods, waterlogging, and landslides all led to the depletion of groundwater in Kerala.
An analysis of the water storage in irrigation projects revealed a decline in water levels in half the state’s reservoirs. There has been a significant reduction (37%) in the Mangalam irrigation project in Palakkad from last year.