Disrupted monsoons force India to face climate threat
For generations, India has lived by the rhythm of the southwest monsoon. But with the country hit by dry spells, cloudbursts and deadly floods, climate swings now expose the costs of building for yesterday's weather.
India's southwest monsoon, typically arriving in June and withdrawing by September, has become increasingly unpredictable. Over 100 fatalities have been reported since late July as heavy rains caused floods, landslides, and lightning strikes across the nation. The northeastern state of Assam has been particularly affected, with over 120,000 people affected. Other states like Kerala, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, and Jharkhand have also experienced disruptions.
The issue lies not in the quantity of rainfall but its erratic arrival - extended dry spells followed by intense bursts of rain that overwhelm rivers, drainage systems, and hillsides. While El Nino has contributed to this year's variability, scientists attribute the longer-term changes to a shifting climate.
Akshay Deoras, a climate scientist, warns against viewing the monsoon as entering a fundamentally new regime. However, he notes that as the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture, leading to more intense rainfall when it does occur.
Climate scientist Akshay Deoras explains that while average rainfall hasn't changed significantly, the timing and intensity of rainfall have become markedly different, with shorter periods of heavy downpours and longer dry spells. This shift poses significant risks for India's agriculture, with long dry spells hampering planting and intense rain washing away crops. Cities face challenges due to rapid development, leaving less land for natural water absorption, which exacerbates flooding when heavy rain does arrive.
Ritwick Dutta, an environmental lawyer, stresses that the problem extends beyond extreme weather. He argues that climate change is causing erratic rainfall patterns, with prolonged heavy rainfall followed by long dry periods. These trends have been compounded by India's failure to incorporate climate change considerations into development planning.
The Centre for Science and Environment reports that extreme weather affected India on nearly every day of 2025, with over 4,000 deaths and severe impacts across 30 states and union territories. Sunita Narain, director general of the Centre for Science and Environment, emphasizes that climate change is no longer a future threat but a current reality, demanding immediate action to adapt infrastructure and economic systems to withstand these extreme weather events.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
