Washington : The severe flooding in Chennai caused by torrential rains is a result of climate change and should be an eye opener for city planners, experts here have warned.
Some experts have opined that Chennai being one of the outsourcing hubs of India and a major destination of foreign investment, the current disastrous situation could also affect the national economy.
“Chennai has seen 17 days straight of rain, precisely the kind of extreme weather event that experts say will only become more common in a warming world,” said Nambi Appardurai, India’s adaptation strategy head for World Resources Institute (WRI).
“Having been in the adaptation business for about 10 years now, I find these events reinforce the challenges we face in adapting to a changing climate. No doubt about it, there’s so much to learn from this experience.
“These sudden, erratic rainfalls are something we’ve seen happening over the years and the fact that this is an El Nino year has also contributed to extreme events. Certainly, though, climate has an impact as well,” he said.
The experts have, however, also highlighted the positive use of social media — Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook — as a resource tool for the people to organise and help each other.