Dry Spell and Heat Wave takes its toll in Assam

According to the meteorology department, in the third and fourth week of April, the temperature on most of these days was well above 25 degrees Celsius, while on April 22 Guwahati recorded a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius and the next day it went up to 40.1 degrees Celsius.

Guwahati’s normal temperature at this time of the year on an average is 31 degree Celcius.

According to experts on the subject, this heat wave is related to global warming, and the delay in the pre monsoon rainfall.

“In this part of the year the temperature is moderate as a result of the pre-monsoon rainfall, however this year there has been a major deficit in the pre-monsoon rainfall which is largely responsible for the rise in temperature,” said Rajib Locan Deka, assistant professor of the the department of Agrometeorology at the Assam Agriculture University (AAU).

Deka pointed out that normally in the month of April the number of rainy days in Assam is 13, but this year till April 27 it was only 1 single day. When there is more than 2.5 mm rainfall on a single day, it is called a rainy day.

“Normally Assam receives around 200 mm rainfall between April 1 and April 30, but this year from April 1 till April 27 the state had received only 23 mm rainfall,” added Deka.

According to Deka this prolonged rainless period will severely affect the farmers in the state as well.

Meanwhile, apart from the heat wave, as a result of the lack in rainfall, the hydro power projects in the state are also not functioning as the required level of water is not there in the reservoirs. This has resulted in a power deficit in the state resulting in frequent power cuts.

Meanwhile caught on the back-foot, chief minister Tarun Gogoi has asked the concerned departments to come up with both short and long term measures to mitigate the problems.

Gogoi asked the Department of Agriculture to draw up a contingency plan if the situation arising out of low rainfall persists in the State, and he also directed the Department of Power to take immediate measures to improve the power position by procuring additional power from other sources.

The Chief Minister has also instructed the Departments of Irrigation and Public Health Engineering to take appropriate steps to deal with the situation arising out of low rainfall, and has also asked Chief Secretary Jitesh Khosla to monitor the situation and to brief him at regular intervals.