The wettest place in the world is drying up

A It’s 1 January, and people in the town of Cherrapuni in the north-eastern Indian
state of Meghalaya are celebrating. But unlike others around the world, they are
not celebrating because it’s the beginning of a new year. Meghalaya, which means
‘Home of the Clouds’, is one of the wettest regions in the world, and Cherrapuni
has just beaten its neighbour, Mawsynram, to claim the title of the world’s wettest
town with a total annual rainfall of 12,262mm. This is the first time it has achieved
this for three years. For the previous three, it took second place to Mawsynram, in
a good-natured rivalry that over the years has become something of an annual
event.

B For the last 40 years, the average rainfall in Cherrapuni has been 11,952mm,
although on several occasions it has exceeded this figure. In 1974, the town had
an annual rainfall of 24,555mm, the highest figure ever in one place in one year,
and on 16 June 1995 it rained an incredible 1,563mm in 24 hours. Older people
even claim that it once rained continuously every day for two years. The benefits of
this rain are clear for all to see. Meghalaya state has a huge variety of colourful
plants and flowers, including rare orchids, ferns and mosses, which grow anywhere
they can take root. Fruits such as oranges and pineapples thrive in the warm,
damp climate. Lush, green forest covers the hills ‒ the trees home to countless
varieties of birds, butterflies, insects and other creatures.

C But there is trouble in paradise, because despite this year’s rainfall, there are
signs that Meghalaya’s weather patterns are changing. Meteorologist Denis Rayen,
who has spent a lot of time in the region, says that the area is warming up. His
claims are supported by the Indian Meteorological Office, which says that north-
east India is becoming hotter. The average temperature for the region during the
summer should be 32°C, but this year it has averaged a sweltering 38°C.
Furthermore, over the last few years, there has been a noticeable drop in the
amount of rain. The figure for the last 12 months was good, but on the whole this
was an exception.

D ‘It’s too early to say what’s going on,’ says Mr Rayen. ‘But the evidence
suggests that higher temperatures mean the whole area is experiencing less
rainfall. We could well be witnessing a severe change in our climatic conditions
because of global warming.’ It’s not just the amount of rainfall, but also the pattern
of delivery. ‘In previous years, 98% of the region’s rainfall was between March and
October. This year, the rains did not arrive until June.’

E The reasons, Mr Rayen says, could be man-made. ‘During the last few years I
have seen much of the local forest disappearing as people cut down the trees.
Deforestation is taking a toll.’ There is little now to stop rainfall rushing down the
hills, destroying crops, eroding the soil and flooding towns and villages lower down
in the valleys. Instead of sinking into the ground, most water flows straight down
into the Bangladesh delta, only 400 km away, where it does even more damage.

F Harendas Das of the Indian Meteorological Office believes that because of

deforestation and shortages of ground water, parts of Meghalaya could turn into
lifeless desert. Mining for coal and limestone has also caused problems, as have

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new crop-growing methods, both of which remove water-retaining soil. ‘Because
the capacity of the ground to hold water is lost, there is a real possibility that the
wettest place on the earth may soon be facing water shortages,’ he says. There is
evidence that this is already happening. In fact, during the dry season, water can
become so scarce that it has to be brought in by lorry, and some people are forced
to walk miles to collect it. The problem is not made any easier by the large
numbers of people who come to the area to work the local mines and factories,
placing even greater demand on the limited supplies.