**2.6 Climate unpredictability**

The critical levels of climate change are alarming. The changes in weather over the years have been very apparently noticed in the form of dryer summers and recurrent droughts. Then comes dripping winters too that cause flooding. The dryer and hotter summers simply mean a greater amount of water evaporating back into the atmosphere leading to lesser availability of ground water for abstraction when it is urgently required, particularly in times of drought. Unpredictable and sudden heavy rainfalls cause flooding that lakes, rivers and reservoirs cannot cope with and thus affecting all forms of human activities directly including structural and environmental damage. The unpredicted rainfall, abrupt drought or heat waves makes it quite difficult to plan for water availability on one hand, while on the other lower or scanty rainfall reduces water levels in rivers, ponds and reservoirs across the country. During the first half of year 2018, a total of 91 major reservoirs in India recorded 32% drop in their water capacity [16]. These all scenarios indicate the need to understand potential impacts of climate unpredictability on water dynamics.
