IMD IITM Pune study shows North India now arid steppe
A new study by researchers from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, shows that north India has become noticeably hotter and drier over the 70-year period 1951-2020, shifting from a temperate climate to an arid steppe.
This has made life tougher in places like Marathwada, where droughts and farmer suicides are already a big problem.
MAUSAM study: Regional drying and wetting
Published in MAUSAM, the research found that while northwest and northeast India have gotten about 7% drier since the 1950s (as analyzed for 1951-2020), peninsular India's wet zones have actually grown by 15% (except for the central Deccan Plateau).
southern India's climate is now more like a tropical savannah.
The study highlights how these shifts could threaten food security and livelihoods, urging planners to factor climate into future decisions.