Meghalaya gets 85% less rain than normal in October, all 11 districts dry

Meghalaya, one of the wettest places on earth in an ordinary year, received only 38.3 mm of rain in October, about 85 per cent below the month's normal of 255 mm, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) figures released on Monday.

The shortfall extends a dry run that has gripped the state since mid-monsoon, and it has sharpened concerns over drinking water in a hill state where many villages and towns depend on springs, PTI reported from Shillong.

Every district 'large deficient'

The IMD's October report puts all 11 districts in the "large deficient" category, which the department uses for shortfalls between 60 and 99 per cent of normal. District deficits ranged from 74 to 93 per cent.

• South West Garo Hills: 93 per cent
• East Jaintia Hills and North Garo Hills: 92 per cent each
• East Khasi Hills, which includes Shillong: 91 per cent
• West Garo Hills: 86 per cent
• West Khasi Hills and South West Khasi Hills: 84 per cent each
• East Garo Hills: 81 per cent
• West Jaintia Hills: 80 per cent
• Ri Bhoi and South Garo Hills: 74 per cent each

A weak monsoon before a dry October

The October figures follow a poor south-west monsoon. Between June and September, Meghalaya received 1,077.1 mm of rain against a seasonal normal of 2,695.3 mm, a deficit of 60 per cent, IMD data show.

The gap widened as the season went on. The state was 9 per cent short in July, but the deficit grew to 38 per cent in August, when it received 359.7 mm against a normal of 581.6 mm.

The weakness was regional: at the end of September, the IMD said the Northeast as a whole had logged its lowest south-west monsoon rainfall since records began in 1901.

Why it matters: springs and taps

Meghalaya's water supply leans heavily on natural springs, which recharge during the monsoon and feed streams and village supply schemes through the dry months. A weak monsoon followed by a near-rainless October means many of those sources go into winter with less water than usual.

The Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has mapped about 55,000 springs across more than 70,000 springsheds in the state and identified 785 critical water sources for rejuvenation. It has flagged that springs are especially vulnerable in the non-monsoon months.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has acknowledged that a number of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) projects are facing supply problems because their sources are drying up or yielding less, along with changing rainfall patterns.

The dry months from November to March are usually the leanest of the year for rain in Meghalaya, so any relief before the 2027 pre-monsoon showers is unlikely to be large. Households in Shillong and other towns that rely on tanker water or community springs could feel the pinch earlier than usual this winter.

What to watch

The figures are likely to add pressure on the state government to step up spring-shed protection and storage under JJM and other schemes. The IMD's monthly reports for November and December will show whether the deficit eases after the post-monsoon season.