Susmitha K., Velmurugan D., Sita Devi K. and Babu S.
Abstract
Climate change is a critical global challenge of the 21st century, profoundly affecting numerous environmental systems. Intensified adverse weather situations, including severe droughts, heavy rainfall, and erratic seasonal changes apart from seasonal rainfall are the climate change evidences. This study aims to understand these climate-induced shifts with the following objectives: to study the Seasonal Variations in Rainfall over decades in the study area, to examine Seasonal and Annual trends in rainfall in the study area and to assess the frequency and intensity of droughts over the past decades in the study area. Chidambaram, a region in the Cauvery Delta Zone, was purposively selected for this study to examine the changes at the regional level. The findings reveal that both annual and seasonal rainfall are exhibiting a positive trend, albeit with variation over years (1976-2023). Additionally, the study identified seven drought events, including three moderate droughts in the years 1989, 1996, 2013 and two severe droughts in 1983, 2004 and two extreme droughts in 1980, 2016 in Chidambaram. These changes cause low agricultural productivity and lead to poor socio-economic conditions of the local population.