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Irregular rainfall due to climate change caused floods in Punjab last year: PAU study
Babushahi Bureau
Ludhiana, August 21, 2024: Punjab Agricultural University (PAU)'s recently released report on Punjab Floods 2023 has revealed that last year's floods in Punjab were caused by peculiar rainfall patterns in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
The unprecedented floods of 2023 in Punjab caused a huge loss of life, livestock and agricultural produce. Thus it had a devastating impact on the population, as a quarter of the working population in Punjab, also known as the bread basket of India, depended on agriculture and allied sectors for their livelihood.
A poor climate is expected to further damage the community, as it is estimated that by 2050 maize yields in Punjab will decrease by 13%, cotton yields by 11% and rice yields by about 1%.
Climate change is one of the most important issues in the world today, due to changes in climatic factors such as temperature and rainfall patterns.According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the average temperature for the decade 2014-2023 has been ~1.20 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) average globally.
The impact can also be seen at the local level, as the northern state of Punjab has seen a decline in rainfall since 2000, as well as two cyclones and a major flood since March 2023.
To understand the causes and effects of the 2023 flood in Punjab, Dr. Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana recently. Prabhajyot Kaur, Dr. Sandeep Sandhu and Dr.
A study was done by Simarjit Kaur. Parineeta Singh of Clean Air Punjab explained the lessons learned from the study. Floods in Punjab occurred in July of the same year as a result of peculiar rainfall patterns in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
Punjab received about 5 percent below normal rainfall during the 2023 monsoon season, but 43 percent above normal rainfall in July.
A similar pattern was observed in Himachal Pradesh, where July received 75 percent more rain than normal. However, rainfall in Himachal Pradesh was maximum between July 7 and July 11, which was 436 percent above normal during these four days.
Rainfall in the upstream state of Himachal Pradesh is the source of water for the three major rivers of Punjab, Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej along with their tributaries. Four days of heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh caused rivers in Punjab to overflow, resulting in floods in various parts of Punjab.
During the same period, heavy rains continued in Punjab and other parts of Himachal Pradesh, causing water levels in the reservoirs to rise significantly, making it necessary to keep the floodgates of the Bhakra and Pong dams open, further worsening the situation.
This resulted in flooding of fields, houses and villages, especially in the island region, forcing residents to evacuate their homes and abandon their farms. Patiala, Mohali, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Fatehgarh Sahib districts suffered the most damage due to overflowing rivers Ghaggar, Beas, Sutlej and Ravi.
As a result, 2.21 lakh hectares of crop area or 7 percent of the paddy crop was destroyed. Apart from this, other crops of vegetables, maize, sugarcane and cotton were also damaged due to water stagnation as adequate drainage facilities could not be provided in time. In addition, many animals were displaced due to the floods, which further increased the losses of the farmers. Even the rescued livestock could not be productive enough due to poor quality of fodder due to inundation of fodder fields. Flooding also took its toll in urban areas as many roads and bridges, residential properties and power infrastructure collapsed, affecting infrastructure.
Author of the study and Principal Scientist of Agricultural Meteorology at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. Prabhajyot Kaur said, “Climate change is ongoing and resilience and adaptation measures are the need of the hour. The new concept of community nurseries and rice nurseries anchored by PAU and strengthened by administration and farmers is an ideal concept to be replicated in parts of the country where floods are frequent.”
Dr. Principal Agronomist of PAU SS "The proactive approach by PAU with proper guidance and farmer-friendly behavior has set an example of scalable and reproducible climate resilience, which can be replicated in other regions of India," said Sandhu.
Dr. Principal Agronomist of PAU Simarjit Kaur said, “Climate change has destroyed 2 lakh hectares of land in Punjab, highlighting this global challenge. But due to the efforts and collective action of the farmers along with the expertise of the subject experts and the langar (free distribution) of paddy crops, Punjab has been spared the devastation caused by the floods."
Parineeta Singh, State Coordinator, Clean Air Punjab said, "India's food supplier Punjab is facing the effects of climate change, so it is imperative to focus on climate-friendly agriculture. Our state's agricultural productivity is critical to national food security. and adopting diverse, climate-friendly practices. Adopting a range of sustainable agricultural techniques not only increases our ability to adapt to climate variability but also supports biodiversity, protects our natural resources and Our farmers' livelihood is secure. This approach will help ensure both environmental and economic stability for the future of Punjab."