Exceptional water deficits will remain widespread in Afghanistan, while decreasing slightly. Deficits in Pakistan will generally moderate. India will transition from widespread water deficits to milder conditions. However, exceptional deficits are forecast surrounding Chandigarh, moderate deficits in Rajasthan, and intense deficits in the Far Northeast. Surpluses are expected in Jammu and Kashmir, northern Odisha, West Bengal, and along the Tapi River. Intense surpluses are forecast for the Gandaki River in Nepal. Moderate to extreme surpluses are forecast for northern Bangladesh.
South Asia: Intense Water Deficits forecast to persist in Madhya Pradesh & Afghanistan
India will transition out of widespread water deficit except in Madhya Pradesh where exceptional deficit is forecast through June. Surplus is forecast in western Andhra Pradesh, India’s southern tip, Odisha, Gujarat, the far north, the Ganges watershed, the Narmada River, central Nepal, and Bangladesh. Intense deficits will continue to emerge in Afghanistan, but diminish in Pakistan except for Karachi where conditions will be exceptional. After June, intense deficits will persist in Afghanistan while anomalies elsewhere in South Asia are expected to be relatively modest.
South Asia: Intense water deficits forecast for Afghanistan thru August or longer
Through May, intense water deficits are forecast for India’s northern half, moderate deficits in the south, with exceptional conditions in Karnataka along the Tungabhadra River. Intense surpluses are forecast for Jammu and Kashmir, West Bengal, and the western Penner River Basin in India, as well as Bangladesh and Nepal. Surpluses of lesser severity are forecast for western Maharashtra. Intense deficits are forecast for Afghanistan and southern Pakistan. After May, deficits in India will be mild in the north, moderate in the south, and mild surpluses will emerge across the middle.
South Asia: Water deficits persist in central India but surplus forecast after April
Intense water deficits will persist in central India through April, after which a transition to surplus is forecast stretching coast to coast across the country’s middle. Until the transition, deficits will be extreme in Madhya Pradesh, western Chhattisgarh, western Karnataka, and eastern Andhra Pradesh, and moderate deficits will emerge in Odisha, Telangana, and southern Tamil Nadu. Intense surplus will persist in Bangladesh, nearby Indian states, and Nepal. Deficits in Afghanistan will downgrade but persist, as will deficits in northern Sri Lanka.