The forecast through May indicates that exceptional water deficits will shrink in southern India but are expected along the Tungabhadra River through Karnataka and in northern Kerala. Moderate deficits are forecast from Gujarat to Andhra Pradesh, and more intense pockets in Madhya Pradesh. Areas of surplus include northern India and the Gangetic Plain, Bangladesh, Nepal, northern Pakistan and the Indus River system, and Afghanistan.
ISciences Worldwide Water Watch List March 2019
Regions forecast to have significant water deficits for the 12-month period from December 2018 through November 2019 include: French Guiana, Finland, Latvia, Angola, Namibia, United Arab Emirates, Cambodia, and Australia. Areas with a forecast of significant water surplus include: Kansas, Texas, and Tennessee (US), Syria, Tanzania, and China. This Watch List is based on ISciences Water Security Indicator Model (WSIM) run on 7 March 2019.
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: Deficits forecast to moderate in Afghanistan
The widespread exceptional water deficits that have dominated Afghanistan in recent months will moderate through December though deficits will remain more intense northeast of Kabul. Moderate deficits are forecast for southern Pakistan. In India, deficits will also moderate but will be intense along the Tungabhadra River in the southwest, and in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Arunachal Pradesh. Areas of surplus include northernmost India, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
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.