With torrential rains in Chennai disrupting normal life, Indian environment experts attending the Paris climate change summit on Wednesday said the downpour in the city was an outcome of global warming. “We are now experiencing the full blown impacts of climate change. The extreme rainfalls that Chennai is experiencing is a direct outcome of our ever warming planet,” said Chandra Bhushan, Deputy Director General of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). “The global average temperature has increased by less than 1 degrees. Think what will happen at 2 degree temperature increase,” he said.
Torrential rains have pounded several parts of Chennai and its suburbs along with Puducherry, triggering a deluge that has completely disrupted normal life as army was deployed in two suburban areas to undertake rescue on a war-footing.
Harjeet Singh of Action Aid India, said, “Climate change has always been a contributing factor. We cannot say that it is 100 percent because of climate change. Here we are talking about the scale of destruction and such rains which have happened after 100 years.” “If we look at the disasters in the last five years, from Kashmir to Uttarkahand, if we see the trend, it becomes clear that it is because of climate change,” he said.
During a presentation, the devastation due to the Chennai floods was also shown by him. The rains, that have broken a 100-year-old record with one day’s rainfall covering a month’s average, also flooded areas in Vadapalani, Valasaravakkam and Nandamvakkam as nearby lakes overflowed into the city.