MALAPPURAM: Researchers with the Environmental Impact Assessment division of the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) have found that the temperature of the Bharathapuzha river basin has increased over a period of 36 years from 1969 to 2005. According to a scientific correspondence published in the Current Science Journal, the annual mean temperature of the basin had been increased by 0.27 degree Celsius during the period.According to the study, the annual and daily temperatures and the temperature during winter and monsoon seasons also showed an upward trend. “We have processed the temperature data from the Meteorological Department and our analysis showed a significant rise of 0.27 degree Celsius in the annual mean temperature of the basin during the period of the study,” said Dr P P Nikhil Raj, a researcher with the SACON. Interestingly, the pattern of increase in the temperature is repeated over a span of 16 years. “The increase may have an impact on the rainfall and local climate,” he added. The findings of the study pointed out that the increase in the temperature can cause a dip in the rainfall in the basin. The team also analysed the land-cover of the basin using satellite imagery during 1973-2005, which revealed that the river basin is under pressure from the increasing urban area. “It is found that 31 per cent of the natural vegetation cover and 8.69 per cent of the wetland agriculture in the basin depleted as the urban spread increased by 32 per cent during the period,” said the researchers. The study says this depletion, mainly caused by construction activities in the upper reaches of the stream and the large scale deforestation in the area, could have led to the temperature increase. Dr P A Azeez, director, SACON, was also a member of the research team.
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