Extreme Weather Events

2021 and 2022 have witnessed extreme weather events across the world. There have been instances of unprecedented heat wave, rainfall, cyclones, floods, draughts, etc. India too has witnessed unusually long series of heatwaves that began in the end of March and scorched north India for most of April, 2022. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said April was the hottest in north-west India in 122 years.

Extreme Weather Events

• According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC), the term ‘extreme weather’ or climate event refers to ‘the occurrence of a value of a weather or climate variable above (or below) a threshold’.
• It includes very high (and low) temperatures, very heavy or low rainfall (and snowfall in cold climates) and very high wind speeds. Thus, by definition, extreme weather events occur rarely and are noticeable as they are so very different from the usual.
• Some examples of extreme weather events are heat wave, drought, extreme rainfall, cyclones, and floods.

Impact and Government Initiative

Agriculture

Increasing frequency of extreme weather events is likely to adversely impact the agricultural sector. To address this government is taking steps such as:

• Climate Information Services to farmers can improve the management of agricultural resources (land, water and genetic resources).
• Drought Monitoring: In the case of drought, for example, a combination of traditional and more innovative technological approaches are being used to manage risks.
• Forecast for Extreme Events: Special weather forecast for agriculture provides the necessary meteorological input to assist farmers in making decisions.
• Integrated Agro-Meteorological Advisory Services (IAAS) at the district level in India—a small step towards agriculture management.

Infrastructure

Extreme weather events due to climate change will likely escalate the disruption of infrastructures. When infrastructures performance of a region is disrupted, it will impact other sectors including the economic and public health sectors.

• The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) – established in 2019 under the leadership of the Government of India and with the support UNDRR to promote the resilience of infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks, thereby ensuring sustainable development.