The research on the link between El Nino and the warming of the Bay of Bengal will serve little purpose in preventing calamities. It unwittingly shores up the Tamil Nadu government’s stand that heavy rains caused massive floods and there was no negligence or lack of preparedness on their part. Not surprisingly, the scientists admit that their findings are based on inadequate data and would need further validation. Chennai has had eight catastrophic floods since 1976 — former Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran was himself marooned in 1985 — and El Nino has been a subject of study since the 1920s. To be fruitful, our research on weather must focus on geo-engineering or weather modifications, in which China claims to have achieved some success. “If climate change turns ugly, then many countries will start looking at desperate measures,” says an energy policy expert. Would it not be wiser to direct our efforts to avoid that contingency?
V. Nagarajan
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
