India faces widespread drought as El Niño impacts monsoon

India is facing significant agricultural and economic distress due to an El Niño-driven monsoon deficit. According to the India Drought Monitor from IIT Gandhinagar, 51.2% of the country’s geographical area was classified as “abnormally dry or worse” as of late September, an increase from 46% earlier that month. The drought has heavily impacted several states, with the West seeing 82% of its area affected, followed by the Northeast at 64%, the South at 56%, and the North at 46%.

Major agricultural states are reporting severe shortages. Maharashtra has declared 265 of its 358 tehsils drought-hit, while Karnataka has identified 73.8% of its taluks as affected. Other regions facing deficits include Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Bihar. This environmental shift threatens the rural economy by damaging crops, reducing farm incomes, and limiting availability of rural employment programs.

While food security remains stable due to massive grain stocks—approximately 602 lakh metric tonnes of wheat and rice—the primary concerns are drinking water supplies and irrigation for agriculture. Although some regions like Odisha and Uttar Pradesh received more than normal rainfall, a large portion of the country, including the southern peninsular states and the Northeast, logged significant rainfall deficits.