Recycled precipitation contributes to 20-25 per cent of the total monsoon rainfall during the end of the monsoon and is very prominent in the Ganga Basin and northeast India. “Deforestation is present in peninsular India and western India too but recycled precipitation component is less compared with oceanic contribution. In contrast, in the Ganga Basin and northeast India, recycled precipitation component is very high. “Over the last century, the warming of the western Indian Ocean led to a weakening of monsoon rainfall in India. In addition to reduced monsoon from distant oceanic sources, reduced recycled precipitation due to deforestation gets added up and causes severe drying in the Ganga Basin and northeast region,” Prof. Ghosh says.

Source: The Hindu August 24, 2016 09:22 UTC