India readies water and crop plans as monsoon rains lag
Officials say monsoon rainfall is 43 percent below average, raising concern for crops, water supplies and rural incomes.
By Daniel Okafor · Business Editor
3 min read
India is preparing contingency plans for weaker-than-usual monsoon rains and possible damage to crops, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Tuesday. The shortfall matters because the monsoon supplies most of the country’s rain and supports farms, reservoirs and rural livelihoods, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Chouhan said the monsoon has delivered rainfall about 43 percent below average so far. He said India’s Meteorological Department expects weak rainfall to continue through the week ending July 2.
The monsoon typically provides about 70 percent of India’s annual rain, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. In a country of at least 1.4 billion people, nearly half of farmland lacks irrigation, and about half the population depends on agriculture for income, according to the same report.
Rainfall shortfall raises crop concerns
The seasonal rains usually reach Kerala in southwestern India around June 1 before moving north. Farmers depend on that pattern to plant crops including cotton, soya beans, sugar cane, rice and corn, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported.
This year, the rains reached Kerala three days late, according to Al Jazeera. The delay added to concern about possible effects on India’s $4 trillion economy, the outlet reported.
Chouhan said water conservation should be the top priority as officials respond to climate concerns this year. He said planning is focused on conserving each drop of water and includes quick repairs and strengthening work for reservoirs, ponds, streams and dams.
The warning has also sharpened concern about food prices and economic growth. Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported that worries increased last month after India’s Meteorological Department warned that an El Nino-weakened monsoon in 2026 could bring the country’s driest season in 11 years.
Mumbai gets first downpours
Mumbai received its first monsoon downpours on Tuesday after weeks of severe heat, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. The report said the rain brought relief to many residents of the metropolitan area, which has about 22 million people, though some suburbs received only light rain.
India’s Meteorological Department said the southwest monsoon had moved into the remaining parts of the central Arabian Sea and into more areas of Maharashtra, including Mumbai. The department’s update marked a shift for the city after a long spell of hot weather.
Mumbai authorities restricted some water use last week, limiting supplies for swimming pools and construction sites, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Many residents had slept on beaches to escape hot nights in the dense city, where many people do not have air conditioning, according to the report.
Climate change is altering weather patterns and raising average temperatures in India, Al Jazeera reported. The El Nino weather pattern has also prompted warnings of lower rainfall this year, according to the outlet.
Australia’s weather bureau said earlier this month that El Nino had formed in the tropical Pacific, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The bureau warned it could strengthen in the second half of the year and become one of the strongest such events in seven decades, according to the report.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.