
It is a cause of concern that the weather is becoming increasingly unpredictable every passing year. Rising global temperatures are leading to more frequent and intense heatwaves, heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, droughts, floods, and severe storms like hurricanes. This shift in weather patterns, driven by increased greenhouse gases from human activities, makes long-term climate patterns and weather forecasts more challenging. Human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels and plastic, have increased atmospheric greenhouse gases, trapping heat and warming the Earth’s air and ocean temperatures. This warming has affected the water cycle and caused changes in weather patterns, leading to more extreme weather events. Scientists have detected a stronger link between a warming planet and changing weather patterns, resulting in hotter heatwaves, drier droughts, and stronger storms. As in the rest of the world, the weather in the Indian Himalayas is also becoming increasingly unpredictable. There have been more frequent and intense extreme events such as cloudbursts, flash floods, heatwaves, and unseasonal rainfall, all linked to global climate change. Scientists are observing fundamental shifts in regional weather patterns, leading to chaotic and dangerous conditions, impacting communities, ecosystems, and food security. Heavy rainfall accompanied by frequent cloudbursts has caused unprecedented havoc in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttarakhand in the past two to three weeks, washing away villages, townships, highways and vital bridges, and causing the death of more than two hundred persons. The weather is also becoming increasingly unpredictable and extreme in the Northeastern region. While global climate change has led to irregular rainfall, prolonged dry spells, unusual heatwaves, and sudden, intense downpours leading to floods, anthropogenic activities like indiscriminate cutting of hills, occupying wetlands, and blocking water channels have added to the woes. The example of regular floods and waterlogging in Guwahati is the most easily available example at hand. One does not need to learn rocket science to ascertain that massive and indiscriminate earth-cutting inside Meghalaya adjoining the city is the most important reason behind Guwahati’s monsoon woes. Large-scale destruction of the Khanapara hills on the Assam side too cannot be ignored. Hundreds of families – the majority incidentally belonging to indigenous communities – have occupied the Khanapara hills, including the Khanapara reserved forest,, in the past ten to fifteen years, cutting trees and earth and causing massive topsoil flow to the city.