Water Regime Of Mollem

Mollem National Park

The mountain range ?? that runs along the west coast of peninsular India from Tamil Nadu through Kerala, Karnataka and Goa to Maharashtra is known as the Western Ghats and is well known for its majestic beauty.

It is also among the top eight biodiversity hotspots in the world. The Western Ghats host over 400 species and seven distinct vegetation types.

• Thick vegetation cover over the Ghats accumulates moisture and acts like a capacitor to release the moisture to peninsular India during dry periods – be they the mini-droughts or break periods during a normal monsoon or the extended break periods associated with drought years.
• The study also shows that any reduction in rainfall due to deforestation of the Western Ghats would lead to a warming of peninsular India as well. This can be expected since the monsoon rains typically bring a significant cooling over India by dragging down the dry cool air from the upper atmosphere. This cooling is a lifesaving relief from the scorching pre-monsoon temperatures and heatwaves.
• Continued deforestation is of great concern for the ecological community due to the loss of precious flora and fauna. This study puts a finer point on the value of the Western Ghats biodiversity as a significant source of moisture for rainfall over parts of India that are constantly struggling for water for agriculture as well as domestic and industrial use. The battle cry for protecting biodiversity hotspots and the overall forest cover over the Western Ghats just got louder.

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