Global Markets
Home›Global Markets›Asia›India’s erratic monsoon threatens crops and power grids
India’s erratic monsoon threatens crops and power grids
The monsoon has run below normal so far, with national rainfall about 24.0 percent lower than usual for the time of year after earlier bouts of drought and flooding.
India’s monsoon rainfall pattern is becoming more erratic as an intensifying El Nino and global warming shift weather behavior, according to SCMP Economy. The changing monsoon raises risks to agricultural output and could also strain power supply as weather becomes harder to plan around.
This year’s monsoon began with India recording its fifth-driest June on record, with rainfall almost 40.0 percent below normal levels, before a sudden deluge hit in early July.
After that burst, the monsoon system stalled again, leaving national rainfall about 24.0 percent lower than usual for the time of year as of Sunday. Raghuram Murtugudde, visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and an emeritus professor at the University of Maryland, said the number of rainy days and their distribution have become less smooth, affecting how farmers set their crop calendars.