Analysing the Precipitation Concentration of the Highland and Lowland Zones of Ri Bhoi District, Meghalaya

By : Subrata Purkayastha , Andy T.G Lyngdoh

Page No: 192-210

Abstract
Climate change is a pressing issue that requires attention from the scientific community, policymakers, and citizens to adapt to and develop effective mitigation measures. This necessitates conducting micro-level research on climatic elements to develop strategies for preventing disasters. In this context, the present paper attempts to analyze the precipitation concentration of rainfall with the help of the precipitation concentration index (PCI) and find out the trend and magnitude of the precipitation concentration using the Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s slope estimate from 2000 to 2019 in the two altitudinal zones of Ri Bhoi District, located on the northern slopes of the Meghalaya plateau. It is interesting to note that the southern slopes of the Meghalaya plateau record the highest precipitation in the world, and various scientific studies have been conducted, but the northern slopes have not reported much micro-level study on various climatic elements; hence, this paper uses the monthly rainfall data collected from the Indian Meteorological Department and the Department of Agriculture, Government of Meghalaya, from Umiam and Umsning, located in the Highland zone, and Nongpoh and Byrnihat, representing the Lowland zone. The annual PCI score suggests an increasing trend at a rate of 0.009 and 0.118 mm per year in the Highland and Lowland zone respectively, indicating an irregular precipitation distribution.

Authors :
Subrata Purkayastha : Associate Professor, Department of Geography, North Eastern Hill University.
Andy T.G Lyngdoh : Research Scholar, Department of Geography, North Eastern Hill University.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/ATNAGI.2024.44.01.12