The showers of India’s south-west monsoon give big relief from deadly heat waves and spread Petrichor–the first fragrance of rain-soaked soil into the air. India’s south-west monsoon accounts for 70 percent of total rainfall in India. It helps irrigate around 50 percent of India’s farm lands. As per IMD prediction, the monsoon is moving steadily with rain anticipated across several states in India.
In India, 53% of the gross cropped area is still rain-fed. Rice, pulses, oilseeds, coarse cereals and most parts of the meat market in the country are based on rain. Any change in the rain pattern means it will badly affect the crops and excess rain leads to “deposition of sand and debris on productive lands; erosion of agricultural soils; and loss of beneficial micro-organisms.
Healthy ocean ecosystems contribute to healthy monsoon rains, which in turn impact life on land and life in water too. Our oceans however, are under deep stress from the onslaught of global warming, ice melting, oil extraction and pollution.
Lead author Anja Katzenberger from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany (LMU) says that, for every degree celsius of warning, monsoon rainfalls will likely increase by about 5%. An increase in rain might seem to benefit the crops. However as Anja points, it won’t be as expected. This increase will negatively affect more than one billion people’s well-being, economy, food systems and agriculture.
This extreme rain pattern takes a toll on the fishermen community as well. According to the Agriculture Skill Council of India, “In India marine fisheries sector employs around two million people of which 12.47 lakh people are in active fishing, 14.97 lakh in secondary sector avocations and two lakhs in tertiary sector.” Fisheries and Aquaculture contribute 1% of India’s GDP and 5% of Agriculture GDP.
June is a significant month for environmental awareness programs since we celebrate World Environment Day, World Ocean Day and International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing. Let us remember that water is the reason for life on earth. Our oceans, forests and monsoons play key roles in balancing monsoon rain. Every day of June 2022 reminds us of that commitment.
We at The Ecopreneur, are creating awareness about environmental conservation solutions while developing long term solutions for green recovery.
Happy World Environment Day!
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Featured photo: Bogatha waterfalls, photo credit: lakshman
