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Scientists at the University of Liverpool are investigating the anticipated effects of climate change on India's monsoon season and the impact that alterations in India's water cycle will have on the country's people, agriculture and wildlife.
Changes to India's annual monsoon are expected to result in severe droughts and intense flooding in parts of India.
Scientists predict that by the end of the century, the country will experience a 3 to 50C temperature increase and a 20 percent rise in all summer monsoon rainfall.
Researchers said the livelihood of a vast population in India depended on agriculture, forestry, wetlands, fisheries and land use in areas strongly influenced by water-based ecosystems that is dependent on monsoon rains.
As such, changes to the water cycle may also cause an increase in water borne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis, as well as diseases carried by insects such as malaria.
Therefore, concrete action is essential to prevent long-term damage to India's water cycle, said Professor Ed Malby, Director of SWIMMER, University of Liverpool's Institute for Sustainable Water Integrated Management and Ecosystem Research and the School of Biological Sciences.
Prof. Malby said, as of now researchers have concentrated only on the Godavari Basin in Andhra Pradesh for the SWIMMER study under the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). But the scientific approaches developed there will be used to support local agencies in managing water resources more effectively, he said.
"To maximise expertise and knowledge in this area it is important that UK and Indian scientists meet and exchange ideas and research. Throughout this year we are holding workshops in India with the five project partners to showcase work conducted so far and to develop detailed activities to achieve the project's aims," said Prof. Malby.
"We are also developing Decision Support Frameworks (DSF) -- computer based models by which scientists and policy makers can compare different climate change scenarios with alternative water and land management strategies. These frameworks will help Indian authorities with strategic decisions related to water management," he said.