Blistering Heat in Northeast: Is ‘Vikas’ True Progress?
Amidst record-breaking temperatures and dwindling tree cover, Northeast India faces a climate crisis. With hotter Septembers and shrinking forests, this article explores whether modern development is worth the environmental cost.
Well, it seems Mother Nature has been turning up the dial a bit too high in the Northeast this year, and it’s not just us feeling the heat—literally. According to the India Meteorological Department, September set records with the Northeast reaching its hottest-ever temperatures. The mercury soared to an average maximum of 32.59°C, the highest since 1901, breaking last year’s record of 32.47°C. With temperatures like that, even the fondest tea plantations of Assam must be gasping for a spot of shade.
Guwahati, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur, and Jorhat, all popular spots in the northeast known for their cooler charm, had their thermometers working overtime. The 39-degree readings in these cities were more suited to a summer’s day than the arrival of autumn. This shift isn’t just a random quirk of weather; it’s part of a steady, unnerving trend in which each year seems to bring warmer Septembers, painting a picture of relentless climate change.
Now, if we imagine a cooling monsoon to provide some respite, think again. Assam witnessed a drought-like state, with rainfall down by a staggering 47% in September. Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya fared no better, with deficits of 58% and 57%, respectively. Certain districts, such as Darrang and Jorhat, saw rainfall drop to nearly non-existent levels—down by 98% and 88%. So much for “dancing in the rain.” Instead, it’s been more a case of doing the odd rain dance just to coax a few drops out of the heavens.
While temperatures surge, our once-lush landscapes are also taking quite a battering. India has lost a mind-boggling 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000, thanks to the combination of fires, logging, and that all-too-modern beast, “development.” According to the Global Forest Watch, which keeps tabs on forest cover using satellite data, India’s total tree cover loss since 2001 has contributed to over 1.12 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s enough to make even the most stoic of trees shed a leaf in despair. Assam alone has seen 324,000 hectares of its tree cover vanish, with neighbouring Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland not far behind in the stakes of loss.
But before we assume every felled tree ends up as some developer’s profit margin, it’s worth noting that tree cover loss doesn’t always equate to deforestation. Loss could stem from storms, fires, or disease. Yet, the difference is small comfort when every hectare lost makes our planet just a bit warmer and a bit poorer in biodiversity. And while Global Forest Watch is quick to remind us that tree cover loss isn’t always “permanent,” the reality is that our “growth” often means chopping down trees faster than they can grow back. It’s a bit like getting rid of one’s roof to improve the view of the sky—marvelous at first, but bound to leave you rather wet and miserable in the long run.
The real irony here, of course, is that these lush landscapes in Northeast don’t just absorb carbon dioxide—they act as natural air conditioners, cooling our local climates and helping us breathe easier. And yet, as more of them are cleared, we find ourselves looking down the barrel of hotter Septembers and drying monsoons. Between 2001 and 2022, India’s forests emitted 51 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, though thankfully, they absorbed 141 million tons, making for a small, yet precious net carbon sink of 89.9 million tons a year.
So here we are, charging ahead with all this “progress,” but one has to wonder, is it worth it? Development, as it stands, seems to be delivering us hotter days, water shortages, and a vanishing green canopy. We’re left asking: are we losing something irreplaceable in our mad dash forward? Or, as the trees might put it, is there more sense in slowing down and taking a bit of time to enjoy the shade?
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