Climate-Resilient Infrastructure

In a departure from the norm, India faced a monsoon deficit in 2023, with rainfall totaling 82 cm, 6% below the usual 89 cm from June to September. The year had already hinted at this deviation with the looming El Niño, a Pacific Ocean warming event linked to reduced Indian rainfall. While expectations for a typical monsoon were low due to the recent La Niña-induced excess rain, the actual monsoon was anything but ordinary.

India witnessed a 9% excess and an 18% deficient rainfall in various regions. Surprisingly, states in North India, expecting minimal rain, experienced record-breaking downpours leading to floods and landslides, notably in Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Cloudbursts even hit Himachal Pradesh in August, attributed to unusual western disturbances originating from the Mediterranean, indicating the broader impacts of global warming.

Conversely, drought-like conditions prevailed in Maharashtra, with water stress also reported in Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Karnataka, leading to disputes over river water sharing. The India Meteorological Department predicts a ‘normal’ northeast monsoon from October to December and ‘normal to above-normal rainfall’ in large parts of northwest and south India. Signs of increased rains in southern regions underscore the urgency of investing in resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding unpredictable climate variations. This shift necessitates increased funding and expertise towards improving forecast models for better weather predictions, which are vital for the diverse Indian monsoon patterns.

Re-reported from the article originally published in The Hindu