India prepares contingency plans due to weak monsoon season

<p>This year, they <a href="/news/2026/6/4/monsoon-rain-reaches-kerala-3-days-late-but-on-time-to-save-indian-harvests" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrived three days late</a> in Kerala, causing concern about the impact on India’s $4 trillion economy.</p>

<p>Climate change is shifting weather patterns and <a href="/opinions/2026/5/22/india-is-being-left-to-die-in-the-heat" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raising average temperatures</a> in India, and the <a href="/video/newsfeed/2026/6/21/the-looming-super-el-nino#:~:text=A%20powerful%20El%20Nino%20is,and%20increase%20extreme%20weather%20events.&amp;text=Al%20Jazeera's%20Marthe%20van%20der,need%20to%20expect%20the%20worst." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">El Nino weather phenomenon</a> this year has brought warnings of lower rainfall.</p>

<p>There was significant relief for Mumbai on Tuesday when the first downpours finally swept in after weeks of blazing heat, delighting many of the 22 million inhabitants of Mumbai’s metropolitan area, even though some suburbs only had a light downpour.</p>

<p>“The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, and some more parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai,” the Meteorological Department said.</p>

<p>Authorities in Mumbai imposed restrictions on water usage last week, limiting supplies to swimming pools and construction sites.</p>

<p>Many residents slept on beaches to gain respite from the sweltering nighttime conditions, in a dense city where many live without air conditioning.</p>

<p>Chouhan said water conservation must be accorded the highest priority due to this year’s climate concerns.</p>

<p>“Every drop of water is precious and planning is being carried out with that objective,” he said, adding that this includes the immediate repair and strengthening of reservoirs, ponds, streams and dams.</p>

<p>Concerns over crops, food prices and economic growth were heightened last month when the Meteorological Department warned that an El Nino-weakened monsoon in 2026 could deliver the driest season the country has seen in 11 years.</p>

<p>Australia’s weather bureau warned earlier this month that an El Nino weather pattern has formed in the tropical Pacific and could intensify in the second half of the year, becoming one of the strongest in seven decades.</p>

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

Guardian Sport · Jun 24

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