Odisha's drought hotspots moving north, west: Study

CLIMATE change has pushed drought hotspots of Odisha in the west and northward direction with some periods experiencing shorter but sharper impact, a new study has found.

- Hemant Kumar Rout @Bhubaneswar

In the early 20th century, the hotspots were concentrated in the eastern and southern districts of the state. The global study by 12 institutes and organisations, including six universities from India, UK, Japan, Brazil, UAE and Saudi Arabia and meteorological departments indicated that the westward shift in drought hotspots - from coastal and central Odisha in the early 20th century to northern and western regions in recent decades have been influenced by a combination of shifting monsoon patterns, climate variability and localised land-use changes.