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Journalism of Courage
Last year,2010,was India’s hottest in 110 years,and 2001-2010 the warmest decade. With a mean temperature increase of 0.93 degrees Celsius,2010 beat 2009 (mean increase 0.91 degrees) to the “hottest honour”.
Yes,it’s global warming. “There has been a steady rise in temperatures since the 1990s and it is only rising… After 2009,immediately the next year seeing a rise in temperature is definitely because of carbon emissions and overall rise in temperatures,” said Indian Meteorology Department Director Ajit Tyagi.
In 2010,temperatures,the maximum as well as the minimum,were above normal across India. “These anomalies were more than 1 degree Celsius in most parts of central and northern India,” Tyagi said.
Minimum temperatures,in fact,exceeded the normal by almost 5 degrees on many days during November making it the warmest month in since 1901.
Besides global warming,”El Nino conditions that continued throughout 2009 only added to warmer days in the year and it continued for the early part of 2010 as well,” said S Pai,Director of National Climate Centre. “It was for a few months only,but it definitely had its impact.”
The sprinting mercury,however,did not affect the rainfall in 2010. The total rainfall of 121.5 cm was a shade above normal than the long period average of 119.7 cm. Monsoon rains between June and September made up about 75 per cent of the total rainfall. Of India’s 597 meteorological districts,the Met Department said,173 received excess rainfall,240 got normal,and 173 got deficient rainfall.
