Hundreds have been killed in the sudden floods in Uttaranchal as the annual monsoon broke a fortnight ahead of schedule and hit many parts of North India. A new report released by the World Bank says that such scenarios will become with the shift in climate patterns.

"Shifting rain patterns will leave some areas under water and others without enough water,”  says the report. It also says that extreme wet monsoon – a rare phenomenon that occurs in 100 years might occur in every ten years by the end of this century.

“Unusual events could become normal,” said Muthukumar S Mani, environmental economist of the World Bank.

The report stated that global warming wouldl have major impact on India's poor. “Some 63 million (6.3 crore) people may no longer be able to meet their caloric demand,” says the report titled “Turn Down the Heat: Climate Extremes, Regional Impacts and the Case for Resilience.” According to the report, India is most likely to face several-fold increase in the frequency of unusually hot and extreme summer months.

“Decreasing food availability can also lead to significant health problems, including childhood stunting, which is projected to increase by 35 percent by 2050 compared to a scenario without climate change,” it says. Sixty percent of India's agriculture is dependent on rains.

“The most vulnerable will be hit more,” Onno Ruhl, country director, World Bank India told reporters. He added that Indian cities would have to become climate resilient in order to cope with such challenges.

The report warns of  a mean temperature rise of 2—2.5°C  from the pre-industrial era years. This may reduce water availability in India’s main rivers which are also life lines of half the country – Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra. “Droughts will especially affect north-western India,” informs the report.

The report specifically mentions two metropolis – Kolkata and Mumbai which could become ‘potential hotspots’. The report also warns that climate change can do more harm if global temperature increases by four degree Celsius by the end of 2090.

The ground water scenario in many cities of India is nearing a critical level. “Reduced water availability due to changes in precipitation levels and falling groundwater tables are likely to aggravate the situation in India,” says the report.