Meghalaya stares at drought, has climate change caught up with north-east India?

The News Minute | August 13, 2104 | 10.13 am IST There used to be a standard line in school geography textbooks about Meghayala. It went something like this: “Cherrapunji in Meghalaya records the highest rainfall in the country.” Today, the state may be on the verge of its first ever drought. This, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research says, is because of climate change due to global warming, The Telegraph reported. On Monday, following a meeting with district level officials, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said that the state was possibly facing a drought-like situation. Earlier in the day, he had said that paddy fields had turned into football grounds. The newspaper reported that hundreds of villages are experiencing drought-like situation owing to the rainfall deficit between -30 percent and -59 percent for the during June 1 and August 11. According to the Department of Agriculture, in South West Garo Hills, 315 villages have been affected, in West Garo Hills around 250 villages have been facing problems.