Record rains lash Delhi, Bengal, Assam: harsher the summer, wetter the monsoon

Rains are a welcome relief after the sweltering summer heat and we all love the pitter patter of rain drops.  

Overjoyed…till you find yourself wading through knee deep waters, caught in traffic that comes to a halt on inundated roads.  And then when scenes of a flooded airport flash, you are scared even. 

Heavy rains lashed the national capital Delhi, West Bengal and Assam in September, setting records that are unsettling. Meteorologists have repeatedly raised orange alert to warn residents. 

A recent United Nations report has shown that the Earth is on a 'catastrophic' global warming path. The devastating wildfires and floods are proof. 

Rainfall in Delhi this month was the highest in 46 years, while Kolkata saw the highest rainfall on a single day in the last 14 years. So why is the weather phenomenon becoming erratic?  

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says global temperatures are expected to reach or exceed 1.5°C of warming over the next 20 years. Scientists have warned that the quantity of rain would increase further as temperature rises. 

Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, in a recent study said climate change is making the Indian monsoon season more chaotic, noting that for every degree celsius of warming, monsoon rainfall will likely increase by about 5 per cent. So harsher the summer, wetter the monsoon. 

Several reports by weather monitoring agencies have shown global warming is increasing the quantity of monsoon rainfall in India even more than previously thought.