Dec 28, 2013,
05.28AM IST
Bangalore's weather is changing
like crazy. Scorching summers,
bone-chilling winters and deluges
that resemble cloudbursts are
indicators that all is not well with
the city's climate. It spells bad
news for a city once considered
perfect to live in.
Describing it as a localized impact
of climate change, experts warn
that not only will the episodes of
extreme weather become more
frequent, but will get more intense.
The government, though, says it
has to study the weather pattern
for a few more years to arrive at
any conclusion on localized impact.
Jayaram Jangal, programme
manager, Public Affairs Centre,
whose team is doing a study on
'Climate Change Adaptation in the
City of Bangalore', said the impact
of climate change on Bangalore
weather is clearly visible over the
past few years. "We've been
analyzing the rainfall data and
recorded variations in temperature
to prove that climate change is
affecting the city. Our analysis
shows that episodes of extreme
weather events will increase and
worse, the intensity of such events
would go up," he explained.
Environmentalist Naveen KS said
Bangalore is experiencing an urban
heat island effect. Temperature and
other climatic factors within the
city limits differ from its
surroundings. The city also
experiences varied precipitation
and there are changes in the micro-
climate as well. Citing an example
of changes in micro-climate, he
said the mercury has been
capricious across the city this
month, with various localities
recording minimum temperatures
in the range of 9.9 degree Celsius
to 14.3 degree Celsius on a single
day.
Weather experts say rapid
population growth, coupled with an
increase in different kinds of
pollution, especially air, and
decrease in water evaporation and
transpiration, leads to formation of
heat islands. Even the
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) report
released early this year has
mentioned that extreme rainfall
events resulting in flooding would
increase in the coming years, said
another expert.
A senior Indian Meteorological
Department official, however,
differed on this. The climate of a
particular region has to be studied
over a few years to arrive at the
causes of the changes. "There are
some changes in Bangalore's rain
pattern. But we need to study it for
a few more years before arriving at
any conclusion," he added.
What is extreme weather?
The term pertains to unusual
changes in the weather of a
particular region. Such changes are
extreme in nature, compared to
similar events in the history of the
place. While rising sea levels and
melting ice mountains are more
known events under the category,
for a land-locked region like
Bangalore, drastic variations in
rain pattern and extreme hot and
cold periods are the indicators.
http://m.timesofindia.com/city/bangalore/Bangalore-weather-swinging-to-extremes/articleshow/28030063.cms
