Greater Chennai Corporation is taking proactive measures to prepare for the upcoming monsoon season. In a post on X, the civic body announced that they have purchased 36 boats to ensure readiness in case of heavy rainfall, distributing them across Zone 3, Zone 14, Madhavaram, and Perungudi. This move comes after the Regional Meteorological Centre forecasted normal to slightly above normal rainfall during the northeast monsoon. 

”Dear #Chennaiites, #GCC has purchased 36 boats as a precautionary measure in case of heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. Below are pictures of the boats distributed in Zone 3 &14. One boat to Zone 3 and two boats to Zone 14,” the tweet read, along with a few pictures. 

See the post here:

Dear #Chennaiites,#GCC has purchased 36 boats as a precautionary measure in case of heavy rainfall during the monsoon season. Below are pictures of the boats distributed in Zone 3 &14. One boat to Zone 3 and two boats to Zone 14.#ChennaiCorporation#HereToServe#NalamiguChennaipic.twitter.com/8apDlfk8eG

— Greater Chennai Corporation (@chennaicorp) October 2, 2024

The northeast monsoon is expected to arrive by the third week of October, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), and it’s likely to bring more rainfall than usual. This monsoon season typically runs from October to December, bringing much-needed rain to the southern peninsula.

To oversee monsoon preparedness, the government has also appointed 15 IAS officers, one for each zone. The officers will be in charge of preparedness, planning, relief and mitigation of all the zones in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

The GCC has also identified vulnerable areas, mapping and analysis, preparedness of institutional arrangements and pre-positioning of human resources. Additionally, the corporation is implementing various measures to enhance capacity building, including mitigation strategies, stakeholder sanitization, traffic management plans, communication channels, relief arrangements, and medical preparedness.

These measures follow the devastating Cyclone Michaung in December 2023, which brought 400 mm of rainfall in just two days, resulting in widespread flooding and waterlogging that claimed 17 lives and affected thousands. Several questions were raised on systemic issues and disaster preparedness. Local people had complained that relief operations were poor and there was no forewarning.

New Delhi:

A total of 1,492 people died in India during extreme weather events in the 2024 monsoon season, according to data compiled by the India Meteorological Department.

The data revealed that 895 people lost their lives due to floods and rain-related incidents, while 597 fatalities were caused by thunderstorms and lightning strikes during the monsoon season.

The IMD reported that the country experienced 525 heavy rainfall events (precipitation between 115.6 mm and 204.5 mm) — the highest in the last five years — and 96 extremely heavy rainfall events (above 204.5 mm) during the 2024 monsoon.

According to the data, 17 people died from heatwaves — 13 in Jharkhand and four in Rajasthan — during the early part of the season.

Kerala, which witnessed devastating landslides in the ecologically fragile Wayanad district on July 30, recorded 397 deaths due to floods and heavy rains.

Assam and Madhya Pradesh recorded 102 and 100 deaths, respectively, due to floods and heavy rains.

In the national capital, 13 deaths were reported as a result of floods and heavy rains.

The data also revealed that Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of deaths (189) due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes, followed by Uttar Pradesh (138), Bihar (61), and Jharkhand (53).

The 2024 southwest monsoon season officially ended on Monday, with India recording 934.8 mm of rainfall — 107.6 per cent of the long-period average and the highest since 2020.

Central India received 19 per cent more rainfall than the long-period average for the region, the southern peninsula recorded 14 per cent more than normal, and northwest India saw 7 per cent more than usual.

In contrast, east and northeast India registered 14 per cent less rainfall than normal, according to the data.

The country experienced an 11 per cent rainfall deficit in June, followed by an excess of 9 per cent in July, 15.3 per cent in August, and 11.6 per cent in September.

Only three meteorological subdivisions recorded deficient rainfall this monsoon season.

India’s geographical area is divided into 36 meteorological subdivisions. Twenty-one subdivisions recorded normal rainfall, 10 experienced excess rainfall, and two saw large excess rainfall. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

While floods in Assam and heavy rainfall-induced landslides in Kerala have drawn global attention, 25 per cent of the 36 meteorological subdivisions in India are still reeling from a rainfall deficit halfway through the monsoon season.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the country experienced nine per cent more rainfall than normal in July (306.6 mm compared to the normal of 280.5 mm) with a cumulative precipitation of 453.8 mm against the normal of 445.8 mm since June 1, a surplus of two per cent.

However, the rainfall in July was unevenly distributed, both spatially and temporally.

East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and parts of the northeast have recorded significant rainfall deficits.

The rainfall deficit in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir ranged from 35 per cent to 45 per cent.

The rainfall deficit in East and Northeast India increased from 13.3 per cent on June 30 to 19 per cent on July 31, with the region recording 610.2 mm of rainfall against the normal of 752.5 mm so far this monsoon season.

Northwest India recorded 182.4 mm of rainfall in July, compared to the normal of 209.7 mm, a deficit of 13 per cent. The region has received 235 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon season, against the normal of 287.8 mm, a shortfall of 18 per cent.

Central India received 33 per cent more rainfall than normal in July, with 427.2 mm of precipitation compared to the normal of 321.3 mm. Overall, the region has recorded 574.2 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon season, against the normal of 491.6 mm.

The southern peninsula received 36 per cent more rainfall in July, with 279.2 mm compared to the normal of 204.5 mm. Overall, it has recorded 463.1 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon season, against the normal of 365.5 mm, an excess of 27 per cent.

According to IMD data, the rainfall deficit in Gangetic West Bengal stands at 40 per cent, with all 15 districts recording below-normal precipitation. Jharkhand has received 41 per cent less rainfall than normal, with all 24 districts in the deficient category.

Odisha has a rainfall deficit of 11 per cent, with 12 of its 30 districts in the deficient category. All but five districts in Bihar have recorded a significant rainfall deficiency, resulting in an overall 36 per cent deficit for the state so far this monsoon season.

The rainfall shortage in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand stands at 15 per cent and four percent, respectively.

Nineteen out of the 22 districts in Haryana have recorded below-normal rainfall, with the overall deficit standing at 43 per cent. The rainfall deficit in Punjab is 45 per cent, with only three of the 22 districts recording normal rainfall.

Jammu and Kashmir, which has been reeling from a rare and severe heat wave, has recorded 37 per cent below-normal rainfall.

The IMD had earlier predicted normal to above-normal rainfall over most parts of the country, except many parts of northeast India and some parts of northwest, east, and southeast peninsular India.

The weather department expected above-normal rainfall activity in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and the foothills of the western Himalayas.

Kerala, where heavy rainfall-induced landslides have claimed over 150 lives, has received four per cent less rainfall than usual.

Delhi, where 15 people have died in rain-related incidents, has received eight per cent below-normal rainfall.

In central and west India, Goa has received 50 per cent surplus precipitation, Maharashtra 39 per cent, Gujarat 23 per cent, and Madhya Pradesh seven per cent.

In southern India, Tamil Nadu received 56 per cent surplus rainfall, Andhra Pradesh 43 per cent, Karnataka 33 per cent, and Puducherry 20 per cent.

The Indian monsoon is characterised by inherent fluctuations and changes that occur over time due to various natural factors. This is called natural variability. However, research shows climate change is making the monsoon more variable. Increased variability means more extreme weather and dry spells.

According to the IMD, below-normal rainfall is expected in northeast India during the entire season, normal in the northwest, and above-normal in central and south peninsular regions of the country.

India’s core monsoon zone, covering most of the rain-fed agricultural areas in the country, is predicted to receive above-normal rainfall this season, the Met office said.

The monsoon is critical for India’s agricultural landscape, with 52 per cent of the net cultivated area relying on it. The primary rain-bearing system is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water and power generation across the country.

June and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture, as most of the sowing for the Kharif crop takes place during this period.

Weather agencies expect La Nina conditions to set in by August.

La Nina, a buildup of cooler-than-normal waters in the central Pacific Ocean, is associated with plentiful rainfall in the Indian subcontinent during the monsoon season.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Heavy rainfall across large parts of India has compensated for the June deficit, bringing the overall monsoon precipitation into the surplus category.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), more spells of heavy to very heavy rain are likely over northwest India and the western parts of the peninsular India during the next two-three days and over the northeast during the next five days.

India, the world’s top producer of critical crops such as rice, wheat and sugarcane, logged a rainfall deficit of 11 percent in June, with northwest India recording a shortfall of 33 per cent.

Heavy rain in the first week of July compensated for the shortfall but caused flooding in many northeastern states.

Since the four-month monsoon season began on June 1, the country has received 214.9 mm of rainfall against a normal of 213.3 mm, according to IMD data.

Northwest India and the southern peninsula have recorded 3 per cent and 13 per cent above-normal rainfall, respectively.

The heavy rain in the east and northeast region has reduced the deficit from 13 per cent on June 30 to zero on July 6.

The rainfall deficit in central India has decreased from 14 per cent to 6 per cent during this period.

The IMD data showed that 23 per cent of the sub-divisional area of the country experienced excess to large excess rainfall, 67 percent received normal rainfall, and only 10 per cent experienced deficient rainfall.

After making an early onset over Kerala and the northeastern region on May 30, and progressing normally up to Maharashtra, the monsoon lost momentum.

This delayed the rains in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh and exacerbated the impact of a scorching heatwave in northwest India.

Monsoonal winds stalled from June 10 to June 18 and made slow progress until June 26-27. The annual rain-bearing system covered a major part of northwest India after June 25, according to IMD data.

The weather department on Saturday said heavy rainfall will continue in northeast India over the next five days.

The northeastern states are already grappling with severe floods.

Assam’s flood situation remains critical, with over 2.45 million people affected and 52 lives lost in the second wave of flooding this year.

Heavy rainfall in Manipur, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh has caused rivers to reach warning levels and triggered landslides.

The IMD earlier this week said India could experience above-normal rainfall in July, and heavy rain may lead to floods in the hilly states and river basins in the central parts of the country.

Experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based intergovernmental organisation, have also warned about a difficult monsoon season for the countries in the Hindukush Himalayan region, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.

IMD data shows that in 20 out of the 25 years when June rainfall was below normal (less than 92 percent of the long-period average), July rainfall was normal (94-106 percent of LPA) or above normal.

In 17 of the 25 years when June rainfall was below normal, the seasonal rainfall was normal or above normal, the IMD said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Parts of Delhi-NCR received heavy rain for the second consecutive day today with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more showers during the day.

Rain, which brought further respite from the scorching heat, also caused waterlogging in several parts of the national capital.

Visuals shared by the news agency ANI on X showed roads inundated and long traffic in parts of Delhi. 

#WATCH | Delhi: Roads inundated as heavy rain continues in parts of National Capital

(Visuals from Govindpuri) pic.twitter.com/9idnGwx0nb

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2024

#WATCH | Traffic snarls seen at ITO as rain continues to lash parts of Delhi pic.twitter.com/HA64Rb3xDd

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2024

A car was also seen submerged at Minto Road.

#WATCH | A car submerged in water and roads heavily flooded due to continues downpour in Delhi

(Visuals from Minto Road) pic.twitter.com/tsE2QJYuGH

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2024

Many people also took to their social media platforms and shared the visuals of waterlogging.

The Safdarjung Observatory, the capital’s primary weather station, recorded 154 mm of rainfall between yesterday and today morning, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Earlier on Thursday, rain in Delhi brought the temperature down to 35.4 degrees Celsius. Delhi had been reeling from the sweltering heat, recording nine heatwave days in June so far against none in 2023 and 2022.

Monsoon To Arrive In Delhi In Next 2-3 Days

The monsoon is set to arrive in Delhi in the next two to three days, the IMD said on Thursday.

The IMD said in a statement that conditions are likely to become favourable for the advance of the southwest monsoon in the capital during the next two to three days.

Last year, the monsoon hit Delhi on June 26, according to IMD data. It arrived on June 30 in 2022, on July 13 in 2021, and June 25 in 2020.

The weather agency, meanwhile, has predicted light to moderate spells of rainfall over Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Gujarat, Vidarbha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka today.

New Delhi:

Parts of Delhi today received heavy rain, bringing relief from the prevailing sultry conditions. Visuals shared by the news agency ANI showed heavy downpours in Munirka, Sarita Vihar, and other parts of the national capital with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more showers during the day.

#WATCH | Parts of Delhi receive heavy rainfall, bringing respite from heat.

Visuals from Sarita Vihar area. pic.twitter.com/OHkSOURVpB

— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2024

“Light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with speed of 30-40 Km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of few places of Delhi during the next two hours,” the IMD said in a post on X at 7:30 AM.

The weather agency also predicted rain over Ghaziabad, Noida, and Gurugram.

Ghaziabad, Indirapuram, Chhapraula, Noida, Greater Noida, Faridabad) Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur (Haryana) Baraut, Bagpat, Meerut, Khekra, Modinagar, Pilakhua, Hapur, Gulaoti (U.P.) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/qJ95g6K1SA

— RWFC New Delhi (@RWFC_ND) June 27, 2024

The much-awaited rain came after Delhi and other parts of north India witnessed weeks of intense spell of heatwave.

Delhi had been reeling from the sweltering heat and has recorded nine heatwave days in June so far against none in 2023 and 2022.

Monsoon Expected To Arrive In Delhi By End Of This Week

The monsoon could arrive in Delhi by the end of this week, a private weather agency forecast on Wednesday.

According to Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather Services, “The monsoon is expected to reach Delhi on June 29 or 30.” 

The IMD, however, has not shared any details of when the monsoon current is likely to enter the capital.

The monsoon current typically enters the city between June 27 and June 29. Last year, it arrived on June 26 while the first monsoon showers of 2022 were recorded on June 30.

Thiruvananthapuram:

Schools and colleges will remain closed on Thursday in six districts in Kerala in view of the rain alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the state.

The districts that have declared the holidays are Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam and Wayanad.

Meanwhile, all the professional exams which are scheduled for the day will not be cancelled.

Some districts of Kerala have been receiving incessant rainfall for the last two days.

The Regional Met Centre of Thiruvananthapuram has issued an orange alert for the districts of Wayanad and Kannur, while a yellow alert has been issued for the districts of Kasaragode, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Idukki and Ernakulam.

Earlier on Wednesday, an orange alert was issued for eight districts, including Wayanad, Kannur, Kasaragode, Kozhikode, Idukki, Ernakulam, Pathanamthitta, and Thiruvananthapuram.

The IMD has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall, very likely along the West Peninsular Coast during the next 3-4 days and over northeast India, likely from June 27 to June 30. The rainfall activity is likely to increase over Northwest India, with heavy to very heavy rainfall likely from June 28 to June 30.

On advancement of southwest monsoons, the IMD said in a press release, “The Northern Limit of Monsoon continues to pass through Mundra, Mehsana, Udaipur, Shivpuri, Siddhi, Lalitpur, Chaibasa, Haldia, Pakur, Sahibganj, and Raxaul. Conditions are likely to become favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into the remaining parts of North Arabian Sea, Gujarat State, Madhya Pradesh; some more parts of Rajasthan; remaining parts of Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Bihar; most parts of East Uttar Pradesh; some more parts of West Uttar Pradesh; some parts of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, northern parts of Punjab and northern parts of Haryana during next 3-4 days.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Southwest monsoon has hit the coast of Kerala and advanced into parts of northeast from Thursday, a day ahead of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast.

Earlier, the weather office had announced the onset of monsoon over Kerala by May 31.

Kerala has been receiving heavy rains for the past few days resulting in a surplus May rainfall.

The normal monsoon onset date for Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, and Assam is June 5.

However, scientists said that Cyclone Remal, which ripped through West Bengal and Bangladesh on Sunday, had pulled the monsoonal flow to the Bay of Bengal, resulting in its early onset over the north-east.

The monsoon is supposed to reach Delhi, which witnessed record-breaking heat on Wednesday, by the end of June. Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Skymet told NDTV that Delhi is likely to witness monsoon by June 27.

India is likely to receive an average amount of rain in June, although maximum temperatures in the month are likely to remain above normal, according to IMD.

This year’s monsoon rains are expected to be 106% of the long-term average.

The IMD defines average or normal rainfall as between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 87 cm for the four-month season.

Monsoon is critical for India’s agricultural landscape, with 52 per cent of the net cultivated area relying on it. It is also crucial for replenishing reservoirs critical for drinking water, apart from power generation across the country.

June and July are considered the most important monsoon months for agriculture because most of the sowing for the Kharif crop takes place during this period.

(With agency inputs)

Stocks of Indian firms that earn a large chunk of their revenues from the nation’s hinterland are showing signs of a revival, as traders bet that bountiful monsoon rains will lead to better crop yields and boost rural demand.

Motorcycle manufacturers, farm-equipment makers and producers of fast-moving consumer goods have rallied following forecasts of timely and above-normal monsoon rains in 2024, after extreme and unseasonal heat wreaked havoc on Indian agriculture in the last two years. Sales volumes in rural areas are improving and several major consumer goods firms have predicted stronger business ahead.

The Nifty FMCG Index has risen 1.5% so far in May, beating the benchmark NSE Nifty 50 Index by more than two percentage points. It underperformed in each of the previous six months.

“The market is expecting a bounce back in rural demand from a good monsoon,” said Sahil Kapoor, a strategist at DSP Mutual Fund in Mumbai. If predictions of an above-average monsoon this year pan out, it will help agricultural output and support rural income, he said.

A recovery in rural stocks is also welcome news for India’s broader stock market whose stellar rally in recent years was disproportionately spurred by investment-heavy firms benefiting from the government’s higher infrastructure spending. Further, bountiful showers can aid the central bank’s efforts to cool inflation by curbing gains in food prices, thereby improving prospects for India’s economic growth and corporate earnings.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd. – seen as a bellwether for consumer appetite in India as its products are sold in every part of the country – has said it sees demand gradually improving. Rival Dabur India Ltd. has echoed the same sentiment, while motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp Ltd. has said it sees most of its new vehicle inquiries now coming from rural areas.

“We think rural economy is starting to come back,” said Rajeev Agrawal, a fund manager at New-York based DoorDarshi India Fund. “This is reflected in strong two-wheeler sales.”

Sales of motorcycles and scooters in India rose 33% on year last month, according to data from the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations. More broadly, fast-moving consumer goods companies registered sales growth of 7.6% year-on-year in rural areas in the quarter ended March, according to Emkay Global Financial Services Ltd.’s research that cites data from Nielsen. That’s the first time the measure outpaced urban growth in three years.

To be sure, there are question marks about the momentum and breadth of the rural sector’s demand recovery, given a low base for earnings comparison and the fact that some firms have seen volumes benefiting due to price cuts.

“This is still a hope trade,” said DSP Mutual Fund’s Kapoor. “There hasn’t been a meaningful recovery in earnings or sales volumes so far.”

To analysts at Morgan Stanley, cyclical businesses are still leading India’s growth and that should result in defensive sectors lagging. “We are still mid-way through this cycle for staples and expect them to continue to underperform and de-rate,” they wrote in a May 9 note.

Still, investors’ appetite for stocks tied to the rural sector has strengthened amid growing signs that India’s investment-propelled growth may be losing steam.

Shares of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., which makes farm equipment such as tractors, are up about 17% this month, the top performers on a gauge of 16 Indian automakers. The stock surged 6% on Friday to a record after better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, with some analysts citing likely improvement in tractor sales ahead driven by expectation of normal monsoons.

Hero MotoCorp’s shares are up 12% so far this month.

The sharp drop in machinery imports in the January-March quarter was one of the early indications of capital expenditure weakness, Prateek Parekh and Priyanka Shah, analysts at Nuvama Institutional Equities, wrote in a note. Valuations of both consumer goods and capex-heavy firms have converged, and that is also one reason to pivot toward consumption themes, they added.

Hydro output in India, the sixth-biggest hydropower producer, fell nearly seven times faster than the global average, Ember data showed. File
| Photo Credit: NISSAR AHMAD

India’s hydroelectricity output fell at the steepest pace in at least 38 years during the year ended March 31, a Reuters analysis of government data showed, as erratic rainfall forced further dependence on coal-fired power amid higher demand.

The 16.3% drop in generation from India’s biggest clean energy source coincided with the share of renewables in power generation sliding for the first time since Prime Minister Narendra Modi made commitments to boost solar and wind capacity at the United Nations climate talks at Paris in 2015.ll

Renewables accounted for 11.7% of India’s power output in the year that ended in March, down from 11.8% a year earlier, a Reuters analysis of daily load despatch data from the federal grid regulator Grid-India showed.

India is the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter, and the government often points to lower per-capita emissions compared to developed nations to defend rising coal use.

Also read: Water levels dangerously low in major dams in South India: Data

A five-year low in reservoir levels means hydro output will likely remain low during the hottest months of April-June, experts say, potentially boosting dependence on coal during a period of high demand before the monsoon starts in June.

K.J. Ramesh, former chief of the Indian Meteorological Department, said there is an increased chance of high rainfall during the annual monsoon this year, but any impact on hydropower output would not be visible before July.

“When hydro increases due to good rainfall, it should be used to reduce dependence on thermal,” he said, adding that erratic rainfall means India should not count on hydro as a reliable power source in the future.

Hydro’s declining share

Hydropower’s share in India’s total power output fell to a record low of 8.3% during the fiscal year ended March 31, Grid-India data showed, compared with an average of 12.3% in the 10 years through 2020.

The share of hydropower has steadily declined in recent years amid a slowdown in the addition of new capacity, with other sources including coal, solar and wind gaining share.

The lightest rainfall since 2018 meant reduced water levels in reservoirs, pushing annual hydro generation to a five-year low of 146 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Meanwhile, power generation from coal and lignite in 2023-24 rose 13.9%, outpacing the 9.7% increase in renewable sources’ output, data from the grid regulator showed. Total power generation rose 10.3% in 2023/24, Grid-India data showed.

India missed a 2022 target to install 175 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy, and remains 38.4 GW short of that goal, with Grid-India data showing India’s dependence on fossil fuel for power hit a five-year high of 77.2% in 2023/24. India’s addition of renewables slowed to a five-year low in 2023.

Globally, the hydropower output fell for only the fourth time since 2000 due to lower rainfall and warmer temperatures brought about by the El Nino weather pattern, according to energy think tank Ember.

Hydro output in India, the sixth-biggest hydropower producer, fell nearly seven times faster than the global average, Ember data showed.