Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

CHANGING RAINFALL PATTERN AND FLOOD-RISK: IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE IN THE NEW ALLUVIAL ZONE OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA

Rituparna Giri1, B. Biswas and S. Banerjee

Abstract

The main consequence of climate change is the increase of extreme weather events, like flood and drought. In India, a bad monsoon year can seriously determine food prices and overall economic growth. Considering the importance of climate change impact, the objectives set for the present work were to study the irregularities in monsoon and to assess the impact on crop growth and production. The preparedness of flood from meteorological view point was also summarized. The daily rainfall data of two stations under New Alluvial Zone of West Bengal State was collected from 1961 to 2015 for analysis. The dates of monsoon onset in Gangetic West Bengal for 18 years (1997 to 2015) were also collected from India. Meteorological Department (IMD). The rainfall trend of the study area was analysed using standard procedure. An increasing trend of annual rainfall was observed. Month-wise analysis of rainfall data showed increasing trend in September rainfall, which may cause flood in the study area. The delay in onset of monsoon by two to ten days and longer break of monsoon during June-July months were observed. These can cause negative impact on agriculture production in the study area. The delay in onset of monsoon hampers the rice transplanting process. The role of better and timely forecast was also discussed in the paper.