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The impact of climate change is particularly visible in Rajasthan with the desert state increasingly recording rainfall more than the average in the last few years. The pre-monsoon season from March-May usually sees 23.2 millimetres of rainfall. This year, it was 312 per cent more than average.
About 4.8 per cent of annual rainfall is recorded in the pre-monsoon season in Rajasthan in the pre-monsoon period. This year, the state saw 95.5 mm of rain to May 31, 2023 from March 1, 2023
The rainfall for May broke a 105-year-old record, with 62.4 mm of rainfall the entire month. This is 458 per cent more than usual, with desert areas in the western part of the state receiving the maximum rainfall.
Rajasthan received 71.9 mm of rain in May 1917, said the regional centre for India Meteorological Department (IMD). The long-period average (LPA) for 1970-2020 shows the state usually received 13.6 mm rainfall in May.
West Rajasthan received more rain than east Rajasthan this year, with rainfall 481 per cent above LPA and 428 per cent above LPA, respectively. Most of western Rajasthan is a desert with a long history of drought.
All 33 districts of the state received much more rain than usual, that is, more than 60 per cent rainfall, said the state meteorological department. However, Bikaner city broke all old records with 72.8 mm of rainfall on May 29, 2023. Earlier, 63.1 mm of rainfall was recorded on May 29, 2023.
East Rajasthan and west Rajasthan received 320 per cent and 308 per cent excess rainfall, respectively. Bundi district received the highest amount of excess rainfall at 542 per cent, followed by Dungarpur district at 505 per cent excess rainfall.
In 2022, Rajasthan received 8 mm of rain in the pre-monsoon season, which is 65.7 per cent less than average. It received 5.7 mm of rain in May 2022, about 58.1 per cent less than usual.
Once infamous for its dry weather, the desert state now receives erratic rainfall, which has even led to flooding a few times.
In 2017, the state suffered heavy losses due to floods after heavy rains, as the people of Rajasthan know how to deal with droughts but are unprepared for flooding. Even the state’s disaster management plan did not include floods.
Incidences of flooding in the state have only increased since then. There was excess rainfall of 141 per cent in the monsoon of 2019. In the monsoon season of 2021, Rajasthan received 117 per cent excess rainfall. September 2021 witnessed 176 per cent excess rainfall than average.