parts of India may become wetter, others hotter, while more severe storm surges from the seas and devastating crop losses could occur by the year 2071, according to a recent Indo- uk study on climate change.

Across the country, temperatures may rise by 3-4 degrees Celsius, and rainfall increase by 10 per cent to 30 per cent, while the sea-level could rise by almost a millimetre a year by 2071, the study projected. Increased intensity and frequency of cyclones and storm surges could adversely affect the coastal areas where a quarter of the country's 1.1 billion people live. Drought-prone Central India may get nearly 30 per cent more rainfall, but summers may become hotter in the northern parts of the country, the study added.

The three-year, Rs 40 crore (about us $810,000) project involved eight Indian research institutions including the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune and the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. The study was sponsored jointly by the uk department of environment, food and rural affairs, and the Union ministry of environment and forests.

Rising temperatures could reduce production of cereals like wheat and rice and spread drought to newer areas. India's forests would be threatened, with about 70 per cent of plants unlikely to adapt to climate change. The study also suggests acute water problems in most parts, except the basins of the Ganga, Godavari and Krishna.