Lok Sabha Question: IMD monitoring of Southwest Monsoon rainfall deficit; drought/flood assessment and Mission Mausam
IMD's monsoon monitoring, state-level drought and flood assessment, and Mission Mausam as weather-forecasting capacity building
- The India Meteorological Department monitors rainfall on daily, weekly, and seasonal scales and issues forecasts and warnings for operational use.
- The 2026 Southwest Monsoon remained lower than normal in several parts of India during the initial weeks, while some regions received normal or above-normal rainfall.
- Assessment and declaration of drought or flood situations are handled by the respective State Governments in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Mission Mausam aims to improve weather observations, understanding of physical processes, and numerical models for more accurate weather forecasts.
What happened
The India Meteorological Department under the Ministry of Earth Sciences monitors rainfall on a daily, weekly, and seasonal basis against the Long Period Average. The Ministry has said that the Southwest Monsoon in 2026 remained lower than normal in several parts of India during the initial weeks, even though rainfall varied sharply across regions and some areas received normal or above-normal rain.
As of 14 July 2026, the country received rainfall below normal overall, according to the government statement. The Ministry of Earth Sciences also said that there is no indication of nationwide impact on food grain production at present.
UPSC may frame questions on the Southwest Monsoon as a geography and disaster-management issue, the division of responsibility between the Centre and States for drought or flood declaration, and the role of Mission Mausam in strengthening weather observations and numerical models.
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