Weak Southwest monsoon hits farmers in Nilgiris
The Nilgiris district is facing a severe rainfall deficit during the Southwest monsoon, threatening local agriculture and potentially leading to drought. Experts attribute the lack of rain to the El Niño climate pattern, which has significantly impacted vegetable and paddy crops.
Why it matters
Climate-driven rainfall variability poses an existential threat to regional food security and the livelihoods of small-scale farmers.
A lack of rainfall in the Nilgiris has begun severely affecting farmers in the district.
According to officials, a rainfall deficit of anywhere between 30% and 70% has been recorded in regions across the Nilgiris, with an average deficit of 50%. Speaking to The Hindu , P. Raja, scientist and head of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Horticulture Research Station in the Nilgiris, said that the deficit in rainfall was alarming. The Horticulture Department stated that the Nilgiris has received only 283 millimetres of rain in 2026, as opposed to the average of 874 millimetres it receives every year — a 47% decrease. The rainfall deficit is even more stark when compared with 2025, when the district received 1,038 millimetres of rain during the Southwest monsoon.
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