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Erratic rains spark climate debate
Puzzling Bihar peasants over the past two years, the erratic rains have triggered a debate on if the state has undergone a climate change. The jury is divided. Agriculture experts have suggested changes in cropping pattern due to the irregular rainfall. But the Met department believes it is premature to take any decision on climate change without data of at least 30 years.
Patna: In the past two years, rainfall was deficient in June and July, when majority of the farmers sow paddy. But monsoon started to pick up suddenly towards the end of August (see chart).
If one goes by the views of A.B. Mazumdar, the deputy director-general of meteorology (weather forecast), there is no scientific study of the impact of climate change at regional level.
“It has become fashionable to attribute any weather-related abnormality to climate change. But one should go by scientific facts before jumping to such conclusions,” Mazumdar told The Telegraph over phone from Pune.
He said that two-year rainfall data should not be made the basis on which one can draw conclusions.
“Rainfall data of at least past 30 years, and ideally that of past 100 years, is required to draw conclusions,” said Mazumdar.
Rajendra Agriculture University (RAU), Pusa, assistant professor of meteorology Abdul Sattar, however, differs.
“The abnormal rainfall pattern in Bihar is a clear-cut result of climate change and it is high time farmers introduced changes in the cropping pattern and varieties of crops which could survive in extreme conditions,” he said.
Sattar said in the past 40 years north Bihar districts had witnessed a continuous rise in temperature. It is going up by 0.05°C every year.
Echoing Sattar’s view regarding the need of changes in the crop pattern, RAU director (research) B.C. Choudhary said: “With the monthly distribution of rainfall showing wide variations, farmers will have to change the cropping pattern and introduce changes in the varieties of a given crop.”
Citing example, Choudhary said: “During kharif season, the farmers would have to opt for short duration low water requiring paddy variety so that they could get a healthy yield even if the rainfall pattern is abnormal.”
The director (research) also said that the upland should be used for crops like pigeon pea, maize and urad. Paddy cultivation should be limited to low lands only.
According to the official data, out of the 32 lakh hectares of land used for paddy cultivation in Bihar, about one-fourth are uplands. The rest are mid and lowlands.
Mid-land can retain water up to 25cm of rainfall while lowland is defined as the land which can retain water up to 50cm rainfall.
The state agriculture department, however, wants to tread cautiously as far as introducing major changes in cropping pattern.
“Changes cannot be introduced in one go. Even a minor change in climatic condition in a given year can land farmers in trouble,” agriculture department specialist Anil Kumar Jha said.
The department, at the same time, is also sponsoring projects for newer varieties of seeds of both rice and wheat so that farmers could have options if situation demands.
“A research project to develop aerobic variety of paddy, which would require less volume of water, and another project to develop heat tolerant variety of wheat are going on,” Jha said, adding that such varieties would be of great help in meeting challenges arising of climatic change.
Source: www.telegraphindia.com