Heavy rains and flash floods have lashed southern and central parts of Kerala since 14 October, resulting in at least 25 deaths and many more feared missing.
Though the rain has reduced and a fresh spell is expected from Wednesday, 20 October, what has puzzled many experts is why such an extreme weather event took place in October, a time where monsoons in southwestern India have historically retreated.
And no prizes for guessing why, it is all pointing to
climate change.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated that a low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea is the reason but the recurrent nature of this kind of extreme rain event in Kerala has led to many experts pointing towards climate change as the reason.
So, are more extreme weather events expected in Kerala’s future? What systems need to be in place to detect this kind of event, and what lessons have the Kerala government learned from previous extreme weather events?
Tune in!
Host and Producer: Himmat Shaligram
Guest: Anjal Prakash, Research Director and Associate Professor at Bharti Institute of Public Policy at Indian School of Business and an IPCC author, and KA Shaji, a senior Kerala-based environment journalist.
Editor: Shelly Walia
Music: Big Bang Fuzz
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