Climate Change Alters India's Monsoons

With less than 40% of the country irrigated, India depends on the monsoons to provide the necessary water for its food crops. Sadly, this year the monsoons have been slow to arrive, and have been predicted to bring only 93% of the rain necessary to provide healthy crop yields. Everyone is praying for rain.

India may actually be facing a drought, which could be devastating to the economy and to food sources. While India has always been self-sufficient in its food supply, that policy might end up hurting it if a drought does materialize. In Andhra Pradesh state, crop yields might fall by as much as 30%.

Scientists believe that climate change is to blame for India's troubles. While many wet areas have dried out, some areas of India that were usually arid have become increasingly wet, while very dry and very wet years seem to be becoming much more common—in other words, nothing is "average" anymore. The environmental disasters are leading to humanitarian ones, as food shortages, water shortages, flooding, and diseases are resulting from the freak weather patterns.

The Telegraph reported that India is turning to cloud seeding in the hopes that rainfall might be increased. Triggering monsoons artificially might not completely make up for lost rain, but it will hopefully help to change what seems to be a looming disaster.