According to a report by 'Anthropogenic Aerosols and the Weakening of the South Asian Summer Monsoon', experts have revealed that air pollution also affects the country's monsoon rainfall.
From 1951 to 2019, the average of southwest monsoon rains has reduced. This situation will continue for the next few years and air pollution will play a major role in this.
“Air pollution is expected to decrease the southwest monsoon rainfall by 10 to 15 per cent across the country. In some places, rainfall can be as low as 50 per cent. It can also affect the overall dynamic of the monsoon, such as delay in its onset. In addition, the surface temperature cannot rise to the expected level. The presence of atmospheric pollutants reduces global warming to a lesser extent, said Dilip Ganguly, associate professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi to media persons.
Ganguly, who is also one of the contributors to the analysis, further explained, “Increased pollution disrupts the formation of rain clouds. Both types of effects cool the surface, stabilize the atmosphere, and reduce the ability to dissipate heat. This reduces evaporation and affects rainfall.”
Meanwhile, a senior scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, Dr Roxy Matthew Cole, mentioned that ‘the difference between the temperature of the land and the sea causes rain.
Moreover, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, “Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, report has also raised such concerns.
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