The Silent Valley National Park, one of the few remaining rainforests in the country, gets one of the highest — or even the highest — average annual rainfall in the Western Ghats, data for the past 10 years show.The highest average annual rainfall received in the valley was 8,361.9 mm in 2001. In 2000, the figure was 7,788.8 mm; in 2002, 4,262.5 mm; in 2003, 3,499.65 mm; in 2004, 6,521.27 mm; in 2005, 6,919.38 mm; in 2006, 6,845.05 mm; in 2007, 6,009.35 mm; and in 2008, 4386.5 mm. The figure till October this year is 5,477.4 mm.The average annual rainfall of the Western Ghats ranges from 6,000 mm at the crest of the ghats to as low as 600 mm in the valley portion, said a study conducted by B. Venkatesh and M. Bonne of the National Institute of Hydrology, Karnataka. The study was titled ‘Regional Analysis of Rainfall Extremes of Western Ghats.’
The area also accounts for one of the highest rainfall levels in India. Mawsynram in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya is known as the world’s wettest place, with an annual rainfall of 11,873 mm, said environmentalist L. Namasivayam. Cherrapunji held the record earlier.S. Sivadas, Wildlife Warden of the Silent Valley National Park, told The Hindu here on Thursday that the Walakkad and the Poochippara areas had been recording the highest rainfall in the valley since 2000.Up to October this year, Poochippara received a rainfall of 7,639 mm and Walakkad, 5,931 mm. But Walakkad received more rain than Poochippara in most of these nine years. In 2006, Walakkad received the highest ever rainfall of 9,569.6 mm. In 2000, the figure was 7,788 mm; in 2001, 8,351.9 mm; in 2004, 8465.3 mm; and in 2005, 9,347.8 mm.In 2007, Poochippara received the highest ever rainfall of 8,093.7 mm. In 2004, the area received 7,020.1 mm; in 2005, 6,945.6 mm; and in 2006, 7650.8 mm.
The Sairandhri area, where a dam was proposed in the 1970s for the aborted Silent Valley hydroelectric project, also gets good rainfall. In 2004, the area received 5,005.2 mm; in 2005, 5,669 mm; in 2008, 4,507.9 mm; and up to October this year, 4,214.7 mm. The Neelikkal area received an annual rainfall of 5,715.1 mm in 2005;and 3,737.9 mm in 2008.Saby Varghese, Range Officer of the park, said the Silent Valley got continuous rain for six to seven months a year. In the remaining months, mist shrouds the valley, which is estimated to yield 15 per cent of the water generated in the rainforest, with both the north-east and south-west monsoons blessing the valley.
The Hindu, November 9th , 2009
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