Kathmandu Post

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Sudden chill

FEB 09 -
Not even the weathermen expected the dramatic shift on weather on Wednesday when the western winds brought rain to most parts of the country. It was sunny and bright on Tuesday and it appeared that winter was on its way out.  But the sudden rain on Wednesday swiftly brought down the temperature, reminding everyone that the winter was still not over, although the temperatures have been gradually rising in February. The temperature in Kathmandu plummeted from a high of 25.7 degree Celsius on Tuesday to a high of 11.5 degree on Wednesday. The stark change in weather is highlighted by an incident on Tuesday when the parched grassland near Kathmandu’s international airport was engulfed in fire. As the fire was doused, the weather was already turning cooler and it started to rain in the evening. On the next day, it snowed in the mountain districts, and within 24 hours, Kathmandu saw 31.7 milliliters of rain. After a brief spell of sunshine in the morning, the weather continued to be overcast on gloomy most of Thursday afternoon.

For the most part, the winter rains are welcome. Barring sporadic bursts of rain, the country will not get substantial rain until the monsoon arrives in June. The recent rain will undoubtedly help restore the groundwater that has progressively depleted over the years. For a country heavily depended on rainwater for agriculture, this is good news. New reports from the around the world say that freak weather is hardly a localised phenomenon. Europe is gripped by icy weather that’s proven to be the coldest in decades. Cold brought by snow and rain have already taken the lives of hundreds of people there and thousands have been cut off from electricity and gas. These incidents point towards a global pattern in freak weather.

The sudden arrival and apparent unpredictability also signal towards a clear problem for Nepal.  Erratic rainfall patterns can cause do more harm and good. For although Nepali agriculture is heavily rain-dependent, especially on the monsoon, rain can only help if it arrives on time and is sufficiently spread out over the agricultural season. Haphazard rain usually attributed to changing climate patterns can not only be useless to farmers, but it may also invite serious natural disasters like flooding in the Tarai, landslides in the hills and avalanches in the mountains. Given the long time frame required to address climate change, freak weather patterns are likely to exacerbate these two problems.  Policymakers, therefore, should prepare short, medium and long term strategies to address the problems associated with changing climate conditions. The impact on agriculture, especially, needs to be understood and mitigated since it is the source of livelihood for the biggest proportion of the population.

Posted on: 2012-02-10 09:25

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