From CK Nayak
NEW DELHI, June 25: With the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) going to set up a rain testing centre at one of the rainiest places — Koloriang in Arunachal Pradesh soon, Cherrapunji or Mawsynram might lose the exclusive tag of the ‘wettest place on Earth’.
Koloriang, the hilly district headquarters town of Kurung Kumey district, is at an altitude of 1,000 metres and is surrounded by high mountains all around. Located in the right bank of river Kurung, one of the major tributaries of Subansiri river, this place is receiving unusual spell of rains almost all through the year barring the last three months of peak winter.
The residents of the hilly Koloriang have recently been asserting its recognition as the wettest place on Earth, replacing the current holder of that position — Mawsynram. Acquiring the label of ‘wettest place on Earth’ will increase tourist footfall to the town and the state besides making it famous all over the world.
Director General of IMD, Dr Mrutunjay Mohapatra, said that Mawsynram may no longer remain the wettest place. IMD will soon set up a rainfall measurement centre in Koloriang as demanded by the local people, he said.
In general, Meghalaya, one of the few states which used to receive the highest rainfall in the country, has been receiving below-normal rainfall since 2001. Quoting the monsoon rainfall data, IMD had said that conventionally Meghalaya and the entire Northeast received more rainfall than the western region of the country but in recent years, there is a paradigm shift in the shower from Northeast to drier West, he said.
“Mawsynram is at present the wettest place in India, with an average annual rainfall of 11,802.4 mm (average of the 1974-2022 period). Nearby Cherrapunji receives 11,359.4 mm of rainfall in a year (average of the 1971-2020 period),” according to IMD’s regional centre in Guwahati.
But former Kurung Kumey zilla parishad chairperson Sangha Tagik refused to accept these official data and questioned the IMD which has not gauged the rainfall of the district and is neither aware of the massive damages caused by heavy incessant rainfall in this area despite repeated demands. With heavy rainfalls all through the year barring the last three months, Koloriang has surpassed the rainfall records of both Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, he claimed.
Buoyed by Kiren Rijiju, Arunachal (West) Lok Sabha member, taking over as the Minister of Earth and Science recently, he also urged the Centre to direct the IMD regional office to install rain gauges at Koloriang to assess actual rainfall there accurately at the earliest. Situated at an altitude of 1,000 metre above sea level, Koloriang is enveloped by towering mountains and it reports snowfall sometimes. Located approximately 255-km from state capital Itanagar, the town’s natural beauty attracts visitors interested in nature walks and trekking amid its breath-taking landscapes.
Heavy rainfall, often triggering landslides, are a common occurrence in Koloriang, they point out. Torrential rains recently washed away Koloriang bridge causing massive landslides and rockslides.
For some time, Mawsynram and Cherrpunji, both nearby places, altered their places as the rainiest place on Earth. But now with Meghalaya, and in fact, the entire Northeastern region, receiving less and less rainfall, this distinction might go to some other place in the country, they had said.
The Northeast and west regions are like dipoles in terms of rainfall. While the Northeast is a wet area, the west is a dry area. However, the rainfall pattern is now shifting towards the west from the Northeast, Dr Mohapatra said.
After having caused a rise in average temperatures, climate change is now causing alterations in the rainfall pattern across the country, the Secretary said. Low rainfall zones like Kutch, Saurashtra and Rajasthan receiving more rainfall.
While areas once devoid of rainfall are now unusually receiving excessive rainfall, wet states are experiencing dry spells.
IMD, after analysing rainfall data over many decades, has confirmed that it is climate change that has altered the rainfall pattern.