India: 1,422 killed in normal but erratic rains this year

The southwest monsoon overcame an arid start to record slightly above-average rainfall in a year that saw the highest number of extreme rainfall events and the most people killed in the season since relevant data started being recorded in 2010, showed an HT analysis a day before the monsoon officially starts retreating on Monday.

Data recorded close to 1,800 extreme rainfall events this monsoon, more than half of which were in August, underlining the expanding impact of climate change in the June-September monsoon, which accounts for 70% of India’s annual rainfall. Two other standout features of the monsoon this year were the bulk of showers shifting to August (it is usually in July) and the withdrawal of the monsoon getting delayed by almost a fortnight.

Between June 1 and September 14, at least 1,422 people were killed because of rains, the highest since data started being compiled by the Union home ministry nine years ago. Last year, the figure stood at 1,379 – of which Kerala alone accounted for 498 deaths.

Ministry data also showed that monsoon-related deaths were more widespread across India than any previous year with highest toll of 317 in Maharashtra, followed by 203 in West Bengal and 200 in Madhya Pradesh.

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