Northwest India turned drier, south wetter over 70 years, finds IMD study
A new IMD study reveals that northwest India has become drier over the last 70 years, while the southern peninsula has experienced increased rainfall. The shift in climate zones could have significant implications for agricultural practices, particularly paddy cultivation in Uttar Pradesh.
Why it matters
Understanding long-term climate shifts is critical for food security and agricultural planning in India's most productive farming regions.
NEW DELHI: A new IMD study finds that northwest India has turned drier, with its dry climate zone expanding from about a quarter to one-third of the total geographical area, whereas the south peninsula became wetter due to a rise in overall quantitative rainfall over the past seven decades.The findings, published in the IMD’s peer-reviewed journal Mausam, note that the dry zone that once ended in western UP is now extending into the east of the state, with the scientists warning the change could affect paddy cultivation in the north.‘Hot, dry zone pushed east into UP over past 70 years’In northwest India, the hot semi-arid zone grew from about a quarter of the region’s area in 1951-1980 to a third in 1991-2020, while the temperate zone shrank from about a quarter to less than a fifth, meaning that an area equal to roughly 7% of the region moved into the…
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