From correspondents in India, 02:01 PM IST

Cherrapunji (Meghalaya) - Cherrapunji village in India's northeast is known as the world's wettest spot with an average annual rainfall of about 1,200 centimetres. Ironically, water is the scarcest commodity here. Located 60 km from Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, and perched on the edge of a cliff around 1,290 metres above the sea level, Cherrapunji holds the record for receiving the highest rainfall in a year and also in a month. But despite the torrential rains, water is the scarcest of commodities for the dominant Khasi race in Cherrapunji. The southwest monsoon and thunderstorms soak the village from June to September. During the winters, the natural springs and streams dry up and crops suffer. Water tapped from streams and supplied through pipelines to the village is inadequate. 'From June to September, the normal average monthly rainfall in Cherrapunji is nearly 209.3 cm,' H.G. Pathak, director of the Regional Meteorological Centre, told IANS. In the same peak season period during the last 10 years, the average rainfall in Cherrapunji has shot up by 1.6 percent to 212.75 cm. 'People are talking about global warming and there are also apprehensions that Cherrapunji might cease to be the world's rainiest place. But the rainfall data indicate the rain god is quite happy to lash the region,' Pathak said. The picturesque tribal village that overlooks the plains of Bangladesh has a population of about 150,000 and receives an average annual rainfall of about 1,200 cm, a shade higher than Mount Waileale in Hawaii that gets an estimated 1,168 cm of annual rainfall. 'The trend of annual or seasonal rainfall in Cherrapunji has shown a fluctuating trend in recent years. But the fact remains that when you look at the rainfall data for the last 10 years, it becomes clear that this place is still the world's wettest spot,' Pathak said. But Paul Kharshiing, an environmental science student, said: 'It is paradoxical that the world's rainiest place is in reality a wet desert where people have to buy drinking water, especially during the winter season.' Kharshiing is working on a project to harness rainwater in Cherrapunji. Local villagers in this predominantly matrilineal society go to distant places and streams downhill to fetch drinking water during winter. 'During the winters even the natural springs dry up and so we have to trek downhill looking for water,' said Mary Kharlukhi, a housewife. Experts say Cherrapunji was showing signs of desertification as incessant rains wash away the thin layer of soil, leaving very little topsoil in the village. 'Water retention capacity in Cherrapunji is very little due to the loose top soil. 'Rainfall gets quickly discharged resulting in negligible base flows in the streams during winter. This leads to no stored underground water to draw from,' Kharshiing said.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)