The forecast through January 2021 indicates intense water surpluses in much of western India and the Deccan Plateau, Bangladesh, eastern Nepal into western Bhutan, and in the upper Harirud and Helmand River Watersheds of Afghanistan. Deficits will emerge in northwestern India.
South Asia: Water deficits in India forecast to diminish
The forecast through September indicates that many parts of India will return to normal water conditions. However, deficits are forecast in southern Karnataka and in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Moderate surpluses will increase in Gujarat and western Maharashtra. Widespread, intense surpluses will persist in Afghanistan, and surpluses in Pakistan will shrink but persist.
South Asia: Widespread water deficits forecast to persist in central & southern India
The forecast through July indicates exceptional water deficits in coastal Maharashtra, and severe to extreme deficits in a vast stretch across central India including much of Madya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and southern Odisha. In the south, deficits will downgrade in Tamil Nadu but intensify in Karnataka. Surpluses will remain intense and widespread across central Afghanistan. Exceptional deficits will emerge in southern Pakistan.
South Asia: Exceptional water deficits forecast for Gujarat, Maharashtra, & Karnataka
Through February, exceptional water deficits are forecast in India from Gujarat through Maharashtra and Karnataka, and deficits of varying severity in many regions south of the Gangetic Plain and to the west in Rajasthan. In Pakistan, isolated intense deficits are possible in Karachi. Moderate deficits are forecast in northern Afghanistan, but conditions may be intense northeast of Kabul and along the Harirud River in the west. In Bangladesh, exceptional surpluses are forecast in Chittagong.
South Asia: Exceptional water deficits will persist in Afghanistan
Exceptional water deficits are forecast to persist in Afghanistan, retreating slightly in the north but increasing in the south. Pakistan should get a reprieve as intense deficits diminish considerably, leaving moderate to severe conditions in western Baluchistan. India will transition out of widespread deficit to milder conditions, with moderate deficits in the south and more severe deficits in the Far Northeast, particularly Assam. Surpluses will downgrade to moderate in West Bengal, and will shrink and downgrade in Bangladesh while remaining fairly intense, especially in Dhaka Division.