Mumbai is experiencing a severe water shortage, with restrictions on non-essential use, as monsoon rains arrived late and are insufficient to replenish dwindling reservoirs. Residents face long queues for water, impacting daily life.
India's monsoon season faces a significant threat from a strong El Nino, raising concerns for agriculture, food prices, and water security. The Ministry of Agriculture has contingency plans for vulnerable regions as rainfall is 43% below normal, potentially leading to India's driest monsoon in over a decade.
India braces for a potentially weak monsoon season, with the India Meteorological Department forecasting 90% of the Long Period Average rainfall. Developing El Nino conditions over the Pacific Ocean raise concerns about agricultural output, food prices, inflation, and overall economic stability, impacting household budgets and Reserve Bank of India decisions.
Dengue is increasingly becoming a year-round threat in India, with cases rising outside the traditional monsoon season. Experts attribute this shift to rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and urbanization, which allow dengue-carrying mosquitoes to survive longer and spread further. Air pollution is also linked to higher mortality rates.
The southwest monsoon has begun in parts of Asia, including India and Thailand, bringing crucial rainfall for agriculture but also warnings of heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and landslides.
The World Meteorological Organization warns of a rapidly developing El Nino, increasing the risk of extreme weather globally and likely weakening India's monsoon. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan urged farmers not to panic and outlined preparedness measures.
South Korea introduces 'extreme heat emergency' alert as part of a national weather warning system overhaul, effective June 1, due to rising heat-related anomalies becoming the new seasonal baseline.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a network of indoor cricket academies across six northeastern states, including Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland. These state-of-the-art facilities, supported by the BCCI, aim to provide uninterrupted training, especially during the monsoon season, fostering grassroots development and nurturing local talent in the region's growing sports ecosystem.
India faces mounting economic risks as the India Meteorological Department forecasts below-normal monsoon rainfall at 92% of the Long Period Average—the lowest since 2002—due to El Nino conditions. Combined with elevated crude oil prices and fertilizer supply disruptions from the US-Iran conflict, economists warn of upside inflation risks and potential GDP growth downgrade. While IMF has raised India's GDP forecast to 6.5%, a weak monsoon could add pressure on food prices in H2 FY27, though experts believe the impact will remain within RBI's 6% tolerance band.
