<ul><li>The monsoon rains have finally arrived in Chennai but they aren’t enough to solve the water problem. </li><li>However, the rainfall deficit has started shrinking over the past two days because of light showers. </li><li>For the last six months, the 5 million city residents have been facing drought as monsoons played truant </li></ul>The monsoons have finally arrived to the parched city of Chennai, and <a href="https://weather.com/en-IN/india/monsoon/news/2019-07-22-rain-relief-continues-chennai-deficit-shrinks-to-7">its residents are enjoying the light showers.</a> While it is a huge relief, it is nowhere close to solving the water crisis that the city is facing. Over the next two days, these rains will remain light, according to <a href="http://www.imd.gov.in/pages/city_weather_show.php">the India Meteorological Department. </a>This year, Chennai’s rainfall deficit was around 45%, which has started shrinking. 
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 For the last six months, the 5 million city residents have been facing drought as monsoons played truant. Normally, Chennai would receive 140 mm of annual rainfall but this year the whole state recorded a deficit of 28% since June 1. The monsoon, that is supposed to begin from June 1, and was later like it was across the country. Four years back, the city was flooded due to cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. As many as 500 died and 1.8 million people had to move. In 2019, however the city had the problem which is just the opposite. The city went without rain for 200 days this year. <div type="twitter" handle="blkahn" handlename="Brian Kahn" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1105108878683975682/pprDXs0O_normal.png" favoritecount="10057" retweetcount="8888" status="The timelapse imagery of Chennai's disappearing reservoirs is mind boggling. That's roughly 3 billion cubic feet of… https://t.co/ARZQpVdxr2" createdat="1561153731000" id="1142187650499121152"></div>
 The Price of Water As the city’s reservoirs dried up, water became an expensive commodity. So much so, that its more expensive than petrol. Residents are reportedly paying ₹80-100 for a 20 litre drinking water can, nearly ₹4 more than the price of petrol. Those few who could afford, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/chennai-news/chennai-water-crisis-from-rs-2-000-to-rs-4-500-the-price-chennai-residents-pay-for-water-2067372">even paid</a> ₹75,000 for a month, to get a water tanker right to their homes. The local authorities are bringing water into the city via <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-first-special-train-carrying-more-than-2-million-litre-of-water-reaches-chennai/articleshow/70192058.cms">a special train, and distributing it.</a> Chennai Metro Water also started providing water at ₹700 for every 9000 litres. However, to avail of this, many of them wait for as long as three to four weeks to receive the supply. Ultimately, they would have no choice but to pay up or remain thirsty.

Chennai gets monsoon showers, but its too little to solve the water crisis

<ul><li>The latest forecast for the upcoming long weekend from India's Meteorological Department may be a dampener.</li><li>Rain clouds threaten to ruin India's Diwali festivities with rains and thundershowers.</li><li>The threat of the rains particularly high along the country's peninsular coast as seen in the image above.</li></ul>Whether it is buying crackers for Diwali or planning a getaway for the long weekend, factor the possibility of a cyclonic storm called 'Kyarr' and thundershowers, particularly for people who live along or near the country's long coastline in places like Mumbai, Goa, Kochi, Chennai, and Vishakapatnam. Rain clouds threaten to ruin India's Diwali festivities with rains and thundershowers, according to the latest forecast from India's Meteorological Department. A well-marked Low pressure area has intensified into a Depression and it is located over east central Arabian Sea. A Cyclonic Circulation and a trough extended from this system is located over Odisha and adjoining area. These systems produce moderate to heavy and thunderstorms over Southern and Eastern India with torrential rain over localized places. The Cyclonic Circulation will gradually move northeastward and rainfall area spread over North Eastern India until Saturday, a Weather Channel report said. 
 
 <div type="image" title="The Weather Channel forecast" msid="71731899" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Cyclonic Circulation will gradually move northeastward and rainfall area spread over North Eastern India until Saturday, a Weather Channel report said.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>





 Rain totals of over 150 mm in 48 hour are likely with localized spots receiving up to 200 mm over Odisha, Meghalaya, West Bengal and part of Jharkhand until Saturday morning. Total rainfall of over 100-120 mm in 48 hours is likely over Goa and adjoining area until Saturday. The threat of the rains particularly high along the country's peninsular coast as seen in the image above. "It is very likely to concentrate into a depression during next 24 hours and into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 48 hours," a Met Department official said. There is also a 'yellow alert' forecasting heavy rains in and around Mumbai and Thane. Indians have a clutch of festivities starting from Dhanteras on Friday to Bhaubeej on Tuesday (October 29), with Diwali and Lakshmi Puja in between. The Met Dept has also warned the coutnry's fishermen to not venture out into the sea on Saturday and Sunday.

Diwali weekend plans must factor in a possible cyclonic storm and thundershowers

<keyword id="10334003" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="chennai/puducherry">Chennai/Puducherry</keyword>, The very severe cyclonic storm Nivar, crossed <keyword id="4649351" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-tamil-nadu">the Tamil Nadu</keyword> and Puducherry coast late night and early Thursday morning with an estimated wind speed of 120-130 kmph, said <keyword id="3573341" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="The-India-Meteorological-Department">the India Meteorological Department</keyword> (IMD). On its way the cyclone uprooted several trees and power lines in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore, Marakkanam and in Puducherry. Power supply in several areas was disrupted. The concerned administration was removing the fallen trees. In Puducherry also the power supply was disrupted. Puducherry Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy told a news channel that power supply will be restored in a phased manner on Thursday itself. He said, a lot of trees have fallen due to the cyclone and rain in continuing. Narayanasamy said low lying areas were inundated and work was on to drain the water. Fallen trees were being removed. "Power supply was disrupted and it will be soon restored in a phased manner in 12 hours", he said. As regards the cyclone damage to lives and property, Narayanasamy said the assessment will be made and by this afternoon, an estimate of damage will be known. He said 80 relief camps have been set up in Puducherry. Camps have also been set up in Karaikal. Narayanasamy said, "By Gods grace people of Puducherry escaped the fury of Nivar." He also inspected the cyclone damaged areas and urged the people to stay indoors and fishermen not to venture into the seas. In Tamil Nadu's Villupuram district, police said the fallen trees have been removed to ease the flow of traffic. Similarly, the officials of power utility were also on the job to restore power supply wherever it got disrupted due to the cyclone. At Marakkanam near Puducherry, several power poles fell down and the fishermen community requested the Tamil Nadu government to restore the power lines at the earliest. According to the weather department the cyclone lays centered over coastal Tamil Nadu and Puducherry about 25km north of Puducherry with wind blowing at a speed of 90-100 kmph gusting to 110 kmph. In the suburbs of Tamil Nadu capital Chennai, water got logged due to rains affecting the residents as well as traffic flow. Nivar will move northwest wards and weaken further into a cyclonic storm during the next three hours, the IMD said. The cyclone began its landfall on Wednesday night about 10.30 p.m. after moving at a speed of 16 kmph for six hours. In an early morning tweet, Puducherry's Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi said: "Good #MorningNutrition. Puducherry has faced the Cyclone, collectively and resolutely. Making us a stronger and a more experienced team." Even after landfall, the cyclone was likely to maintain its intensity for about six hours and weaken gradually. The sea along the coast was very rough with huge waves were hitting the shores. IMD said, "Under its influence rainfall at most/many places with heavy to very heavy fall at a few places with isolated extremely heavy falls are likely to occur over Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Vellore districts of Tamil Nadu and Chittoor, Kurnool, Prakasam and Cuddappa districts of Andhra Pradesh. Gale wind speed reaching 65-75 kmph gusting to 85 kmph very likely to prevail over interior districts (Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Tirupattur, Vellore) of Tamil Nadu and Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh in the early morning to forenoon, the weather department said. The Puducherry government too has announced Thursday as a public holiday. Twenty five teams from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed on the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh.

Cyclone Nivar crosses Tamil Nadu and Puducherry disrupting power supply, uprooting trees

<ul><li>India suffered an economic loss of $37 billion due to <keyword id="6361617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change">climate change</keyword> in 2018 alone. </li><li>India is among the top 5 countries most affected by climate change in 2018. Japan lead the pact, followed by the Philippines and Germany. </li><li>Moreover, heat stress will force India to lose 5.8% of its working hours by 2030 with agriculture and construction sector suffering the most. </li></ul>India suffered an economic loss of $37 billion due to climate change in 2018, according to <a href="https://germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/20-2-01e%20Global%20Climate%20Risk%20Index%202020_10.pdf">a Global Climate Risk Index 2020. </a>The economic loss is nearly twice than what India <a href="https://www.unisdr.org/files/61119_credeconomiclosses.pdf">lost ($79.5 billion) between 1998-2017. </a> India ranked 5th in the top 10 countries most affected by climate change in 2018. Japan lead the pact, followed by the Philippines, Germany, and Madagascar, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/global-carbon-emissions-will-increase-by-0-6-in-2019/articleshow/72379812.cms">said the report.</a> Over the past five years, India has always suffered one of the five highest economic losses because of climate change, <a href="https://www.indiaspend.com/india-5th-most-vulnerable-to-climate-change-fallouts-its-poor-the-worst-hit/">reported India spend. </a> Top 5 most-affected countries by climate change <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ranking </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Country </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Death toll </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Absolute losses (in million US $ PPP) </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Japan </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1282 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">35839.34 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Philippines </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">455 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4547.27 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Germany </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1246 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5038.62 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Madagascar </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">72 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">568.10 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2081 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">37807.82 </td></tr></tbody></table>Credits: Global Climate Risk Index 2020. Apart from economic losses, India also witnessed the most number of deaths due to extreme weather conditions. India registered 2081 deaths because of climate change In 2018, India saw 2,081 deaths — the highest in the world — because of extreme weather events like cyclones, floods, landslides, etc. India is vulnerable to climate change particularly because of low per capita income, rising social inequality, and great dependency on agriculture for livelihoods. According to the report, the worst hit regions were also the poorest ones. “The yearly monsoon season, lasting from June to September, severely affected India in 2018,” <a href="https://germanwatch.org/sites/germanwatch.org/files/20-2-01e%20Global%20Climate%20Risk%20Index%202020_10.pdf">said the report</a>. For instance, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-massive-floods-kerala-now-faces-the-possibility-of-a-partial-drought/articleshow/65779424.cms">Kerala floods</a> — the worst in 100 years — in 2018 took 324 lives, damaged 20,000 houses and 80 dams. As many as 220,000 people were forced to migrate. The losses due to floods amounted to US $2.8 billion.Separately in October and November 2018, Title and Gaja killed 8 people and affected 450,000 people. Furthermore, India is also among the most affected countries by heatwaves. In 2019, several cities registered temperatures above 50°C. Chennai, a city with over a million people, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/chennai-gets-monsoon-showers-but-its-too-little-to-solve-the-water-crisis/articleshow/70342615.cms">ran out of water and had to take external help. </a> <div type="image" title="Chennai: A train of 50 wagons filled with water from Jolarpet arrives at Chennai..." msid="72437171" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A train of 50 wagons filled with water from Jolarpet arrives at Chennai. Chennai has been grappling with an acute water crisis over the past four months. The southern metropolis is facing a daily water deficit of at least 200 million litres, and the four reservoirs supplying to the city have run dry.Photo/R Senthil Kumar)(&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

 Heat stress will force India to lose 5.8% of its working hours by 2030. It is equivalent to slashing 34 million out of the 80 million full-time jobs world wide. Agriculture and construction sector in India will suffer the most because of this, the report said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/global-carbon-emissions-will-increase-by-0-6-in-2019/articleshow/72379812.cms">The relatively small upside of India's economic slowdown</a>

Climate change cost India over 2000 lives and $37 billion in just a year

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d489b9e100a24663a256f12-2400/ap18176801398650.jpg" border="0" alt="Rio Grande drought" data-mce-source="Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press" data-mce-caption="Sandbars fill the Rio Grande north of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Weather forecasters said sparse rainfall in the US Southern Plains since autumn had caused drought conditions to worsen, especially in the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico." data-link="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Southern-Plains-Drought/ad8a31bed4ff49389929a0aedd1be58a/10/0" /><a href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Southern-Plains-Drought/ad8a31bed4ff49389929a0aedd1be58a/10/0">Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press</a>Sandbars fill the Rio Grande north of Albuquerque, New Mexico on February 18, 2018. Weather forecasters said sparse rainfall caused drought conditions to worsen, especially in the Four Corners region of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/new-mexico">New Mexico</a> faces extreme water stress on par with the United Arab Emirates, the 10th most water-stressed country in the world.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/california">California</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/arizona">Arizona</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/colorado">Colorado</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/nebraska">Nebraska</a> also have high levels of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americas-about-to-hit-a-water-crisis-2015-4">water stress</a>, meaning industries and municipalities withdraw a large portion of the states' available water each year.</li><li>Water stress can turn <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-town-sinking-drought-central-valley-2019-2">droughts</a> into disasters: Researchers expect climate change to bring more "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cape-town-day-zero-photos-inequality-2018-2">day zeros</a>," when municipal taps run dry.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>A global water crisis looms, and US states are not immune to it. New Mexico faces the same degree of water stress as the United Arab Emirates - the 10th most water-stressed country in the world - according to a new <a href="https://www.wri.org/publication/aqueduct-30">report</a> from the <a href="https://www.wri.org/">World Resources Institute</a>. That means that industries and municipalities in the state use about 95% of New Mexico's available annual water supply, leaving little in the reserves for droughts and dry spells.California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska face similar challenges."Our populations and economies are growing and demanding more water, but our supply is threatened by climate change, by water waste, and by pollution," Betsy Otto, director of WRI's <a href="https://www.wri.org/our-work/topics/water">Global Water Program</a>, said in a call with reporters. "Water stress, which occurs when demands rival annual supply, is a manifestation of those issues."The researchers behind the report said they expect to see more "day zeros," the term for the moment when a city's taps run dry, as populations grow and continue to draw from dwindling water resources. In January 2018, Cape Town, South Africa got dangerously close to reality: The government announced the city was three months from day zero. Residents successfully limited their water use enough to make it to the next rainy season, however. New Mexico also faced severe drought last year (along with much of the Southwest). The threat led farmers <a href="https://www.apnews.com/bdeb4ddedd804997a4a4f6a5a78978d9">to plant</a> more drought-resistant crops like beans, or to <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/08/13/drought-forces-hard-choices-for-farmers-and-ranchers-in-the-southwest">abandon</a> their fields altogether. Some farms were allotted just 10 inches of water from the Rio Grande, compared to the normal 36. With no grass to feed their herds, ranchers <a href="https://www.abqjournal.com/1152182">sold cattle</a> to pay for hay. The USDA <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/state-offices/New-Mexico/news-releases/2018/usda-designates-12-counties-in-new-mexico-as-primary-natural-disaster-areas-with-assistance-to-producers-in-surrounding-states">declared disaster areas</a> across the state, qualifying ranchers for federal loans to cover financial losses."Most of us have drinking water," Cassidy Johnston, a New Mexico rancher, <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/08/13/drought-forces-hard-choices-for-farmers-and-ranchers-in-the-southwest">told Water Deeply</a>. "But all the drinking water in the world doesn't change anything if your cattle don't have anything to eat. We count on rain. We count on rain for everything."The state's largest reservoir ran as low as <a href="https://waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/individual/elephant-butte-1year.csv">2.9%</a> capacity. After <a href="https://www.aspentimes.com/news/minnow-rescues-under-way-as-portions-of-rio-grande-river-dry-up/">rescuing 10,000 endangered silvery minnows</a> from drying up with the river, the federal government had to <a href="https://www.apnews.com/05d111d91fde40438bf097e0c070f320">lease</a> $2 million of groundwater from Albuquerque in order to keep the Rio Grande flowing."Drought makes the situation worse, but usually the underlying indicators have been flashing red for a while and we just haven't been paying attention," Otto said.<h2>'Water stress' is a comparison of supply and demand </h2>To measure water stress, WRI looked at the amount of water that gets withdrawn each year from the total supply of renewable, available water. (Withdrawal isn't the same as water consumption, since some withdrawn water is later returned to the source.)The group evaluated the water-stress levels of 189 countries and the regions within them, including US states.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d48a9df100a24053501afa6-650/usstatemapblog-01.png" border="0" alt="US states water stress" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="World Resources Institute" data-mce-caption="The WRI Aqueduct report found that New Mexico face extremely high water stress, while four other states have high water stress." />World Resources InstituteThe WRI report found that New Mexico faces extremely high water stress, while four other states have high water stress.</div></div></div>In regions that face "extremely high" water stress - like New Mexico - industry, agriculture, and municipalities are withdrawing at least 80% of available surface and groundwater each year. That puts them in a precarious position, with little leftover water to serve as a buffer in dry spells.In total, the WRI report identified 17 countries facing this level of extreme water stress: Qatar, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, the United Arab Emirates, San Marino, Bahrain, India, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Oman, and Botswana. Those countries are home to a quarter of the world's population.New Mexico's risk is on par with that of the UAE, the report found. It also suggested that four US states - California, Arizona, Colorado, and Nebraska - face high water stress, which means they're withdrawing between 40% and 80% of available water annually.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d49cb3b100a244d120e60f9-2400/2016-03-31t120000z1783706554gf10000367625rtrmadp3california-drought.jpg" border="0" alt="2016 03 31T120000Z_1783706554_GF10000367625_RTRMADP_3_CALIFORNIA DROUGHT.JPG" data-mce-source="Mike Blake/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A dried riverbed near San Ysidro, California on March 31, 2016. The state's longest-ever drought began in December 2011 and ended in March 2019." data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2016%3Anewsml_GF10000367625%3A1783706554" /><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2016%3Anewsml_GF10000367625%3A1783706554">Mike Blake/Reuters</a>A dried riverbed near San Ysidro, California on March 31, 2016. The state's longest-ever drought began in December 2011 and ended in March 2019.</div></div></div>With the exception of Nebraska, these states all draw water from the Colorado River, which for the last 19 years has experienced its worst drought in 100 years. In July, water levels in Lake Mead, the Colorado River reservoir that supplies water and energy to much of the Southwest, dropped to just 7 feet above the official shortage level. Below that mark, the federal government would significantly reduce each state's water <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/programs/strategies/RecordofDecision.pdf">allocation</a>t.The Bureau of Reclamation <a href="https://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/g4000/24mo/2018/AUG18.pdf">projects</a> that Lake Mead will hit that shortage level by 2020.In New Mexico, the drought let up this year, but ranchers in the southeast part of the state are still buying supplemental feed for herds given the lack of grass and selling cattle to cover the extra costs, the <a href="https://www.currentargus.com/story/news/local/2019/05/31/new-mexico-drought-conditions-southeast-region/1289844001/">Carlsbad Current-Argus</a> reported.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c741c3371d2215008be31a-2400/ap484939383499.jpg" border="0" alt="colorado river" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Julie Jacobson/AP" data-mce-caption="The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming." />Julie Jacobson/APThe Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.</div></div></div><h2>In other countries, water stress is even more dire</h2>The world is on track to warm by <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/SR15_SPM_version_report_LR.pdf">1.5 degrees Celsius as early as 2030</a>. That would increase the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">likelihood</a> of extreme drought in the Mediterranean, reduce rainfall across Southern Africa, and causing longer and more frequent heat waves in many parts of the globe.According to the WRI report, 27 countries face high water stress around the world: Chile, Cyprus, Yemen, Andorra, Morocco, Belgium, Mexico, Uzbekistan , Greece, Afghanistan, Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Turkey, Albania, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Namibia, Kyrgyzstan, Niger, Nepal, Portugal, Iraq, Egypt, and Italy.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d48a568100a2405bc45cf28-2400/2019-06-25t123820z1094593166rc184bf577e0rtrmadp3india-water-shortage.jpg" border="0" alt="chennai india water day zero" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="P. Ravikumar/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Residents gather to fill empty containers with water from a municipal tanker in Chennai, India, June 25, 2019." data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC184BF577E0%3A1094593166" /><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/detail?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC184BF577E0%3A1094593166">P. Ravikumar/Reuters</a>Residents gather to fill empty containers with water from a municipal tanker in Chennai, India, June 25, 2019.</div></div></div>Chennai, India's sixth largest city, reached "day zero" in late June. (Taps across the city ran dry, though officials have not formally declared day zero.) Last year, the city <a href="http://www.imdchennai.gov.in/NEM2018.pdf">saw less than half its normal rainfall</a>, and the summer brought temperatures up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit. Wells and <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/world/chennai-satellite-images-reservoirs-water-crisis-trnd/index.html">reservoirs</a> dried up, and the city's population of over 8 million was left without water. Residents still rely on trucks to bring in water each day, the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/51007944-b456-11e9-bec9-fdcab53d6959">Financial Times</a> reported. Climate models <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">indicate</a> that situations like this will become more common in the next 50 years, as rainfall continues to decrease, temperatures continue to rise, and world population grows. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-3/">projects</a> severe reductions in water resources for 8% of the global population from 2021 to 2040. By 2071, the problem will affect 14% of people around the world.Climate change impacts the demand side of the water equation, too."Crops will draw more water up during dry periods. People will use more electricity to run their air conditioners," Otto said. (Energy production accounts for 10% of water withdrawals worldwide, according to the <a href="https://www.iea.org/weo/water/">International Energy Agency</a>.)<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57a8e4dece38f2e3058b55fe-2400/rtx12cwl.jpg" border="0" alt="drought sunflowers heat wave germany" data-mce-source="Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters" />Heinz-Peter Bader/ReutersSunflowers wilt in a heat wave in Germany.</div></div></div>Distributing water also requires energy - globally, this process uses as much energy as the entire country of Australia. Creating that energy, of course, involves burning fossil fuels, which emits the heat-trapping greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. The IEA projects that the water sector's energy use will double by 2040, as more water sources run dry. Industries and municipalities will have to pump water from further away and deeper in the ground, or opt for extremely energy-intensive desalination. At least one water manager in New Mexico reportedly <a href="https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2018/09/25/as-new-mexico-reservoirs-hit-bottom-worries-grow-over-the-future">considered</a> diverting water from the Mississippi River after last year's drought.<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d48a5a2100a24690502cd4b-2400/2019-07-11t161007z429315805rc1cf10aa690rtrmadp3india-water-chennai.jpg" border="0" alt="chennai india day zero water tanker" data-mce-source="P. Ravikumar/Reuters" data-mce-caption="A worker fills a tanker train with water, which will be transported and supplied to drought-hit city of Chennai, at Jolarpettai railway station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, July 11, 2019." data-link="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC1CF10AA690%3A429315805&amp;search=all%3Achennai%20water" /><a href="https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2019%3Anewsml_RC1CF10AA690%3A429315805&amp;search=all%3Achennai%20water">P. Ravikumar/Reuters</a>A worker fills a tanker train with water, which will be transported to the city of Chennai, India, at Jolarpettai railway station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, July 11, 2019.</div></div></div><h2>Preventing 'day zeros'</h2>Otto said better planning and water-management practices can help mitigate water crises - she suggested more water-efficient irrigation systems, better recycling of wastewater to water crops or use in industrial processes, and more simple infrastructure maintenance like fixing leaks.Seven states that pull from the Colorado River are trying to implement such practices, including New Mexico. In March, they signed onto a management plan that asks each state to cut their water use and plan ahead to prevent reservoir depletion, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/19/climate/colorado-river-water.html">The New York Times</a> reported."The picture is alarming in many places around the globe, but it's very important to note that water stress is not destiny," Otto said. "All of those approaches can help us change the trajectory that we're on. What we can't afford to do any longer is pretend that the situation will just resolve itself, or throw up our hands and say that there's nothing we can do." <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/robotic-farm-uses-90-less-water-than-traditional-farming-2018-10">This robotic farm uses 90% less water than traditional farming</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/FgrxR161-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

New Mexico faces extreme water scarcity on par with the United Arab Emirates. Experts warn more 'day zeros' are looming.

<ul><li>The Indian Meteorlogical department just classified the threat from Cyclone Fani as 'very severe'.</li><li>The storm is expected to hit the country's eastern coast in the state of Odisha. </li><li>The Navy is deploying ships, manpower, food, clothes among others to limit the damage from the natural disaster.</li><li>A similar cyclone in 1999, only much more destructive, killed over 9,800 people in Odisha. </li></ul>Fani, a cyclonic storm brewing in the Bay of Bengal, is set to hit India's eastern coast in the state of Odisha. In its latest update, the Indian Meteorological Department just issued a warning saying that the storm has turned 'very severe'. Fani can even worsen into an "extremely severe cyclone" by tomorrow, prompting the government to put the National Disaster Response Force and the Indian Coast Guard on high alert, <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cyclone-fani-live-updates-navy-prepares-ships-aircraft-for-assistance-2030529" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">a report said citing officials</a>. 
	
	<div type="twitter" handle="Indiametdept" handlename="India Met. Dept." image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/719820340617195520/9kkoUL6x_normal.jpg" favoritecount="44" retweetcount="39" status="Severe Cyclone ‘FANI’ intensified into Very Severe Cyclone at 0530 IST of 30th April. To intensify further and move… https://t.co/qfCWUDIWoI" createdat="1556594916000" id="1123066594333155329"></div>





 Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered to release financial assistance, in advance, of ₹10.8 billion to four states that stand threatened by the natural disaster. <table style="width: 223pt;"> <colgroup></colgroup><col /> <col /> <tbody><tr> <td class="xl64" style="height:15.0pt;width:80pt">State</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none; width: 143pt;">Advance Financial Assistance</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl64" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Andhra Pradesh</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">₹2 billion</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl64" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Odisha</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">₹3.4 billion</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl64" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">Tamil Nadu</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">₹3.1 billion</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="xl64" style="height: 15pt; border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none;">West Bengal</td> <td class="xl64" style="border-top-width: initial; border-top-style: none; border-left-width: initial; border-left-style: none;">₹2.3 billion</td> </tr></tbody></table><a href="http://pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1571312" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Source: Ministry of Home Affairs</a> A cyclone is a massive storm caused by low atmospheric pressure. It's a spiraling wind that rotates around a low pressure zone. 
 
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 Every year, states on India's eastern coast, especially Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, witness similar storms and often, they end up being devastating. A similar cyclone, but much more destructive, with a wind speed of 300 miles per hour had struck Odisha. It was the worst cyclonic disaster ever recorded in the last century <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/revisiting-the-super-cyclone-that-hit-odisha-in-1999/story-S0lDY1STwdrVdMravThCZK.html" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">that killed over 9,800 people</a>. 
 
 
 <div type="image" title="088b1f620111307bf2cf6a690ab707d8" msid="69108715" hostid="261"></div>





 The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) is on high alert to render necessary humanitarian assistance, a Navy spokesperson said on Tuesday. Indian Naval ships at Visakhapatnam and Chennai are on stand-by to proceed to the most affected areas to undertake Humanitarian Aid Distress Relief (HADR), evacuation, logistic support including providing medical aid. These ships are embarked with additional divers, doctors, inflatable rubber boats and relief material that include food, tents, clothes, medicines and blankets. Naval aircraft are also on stand-by at the Naval Air Stations INS Rajali at Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu and INS Dega at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, to undertake reconnaissance, rescue, casualty evacuation and air drop of relief material to the stranded if required, the spokesperson added. The ENC is closely monitoring the developments in the Bay of Bengal and Flag Officer Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Naval Area (FOTNA) and Naval Officers-in-Charge (Andhra Pradesh) and (Odisha) are in constant communication with respective state administrations. With inputs from IANS SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/space-power-china-signs-exploration-agreement-with-smaller-ally-pakistan/articleshow/69108197.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">China is taking its ‘all-weather ally’ Pakistan to space</a>

Cyclone Fani, a 'very severe' natural disaster is set to hit India's eastern coast

<ul><li>The <keyword id="5293859" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="odisha-train-accident" source="Orion">Odisha train accident</keyword> which resulted in the death of 275 people has turned the spotlight on the <keyword id="1317735" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="kavach" source="Orion">Kavach</keyword> initiative that aims to make <keyword id="6355455" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="indian-railways" source="Orion">Indian railways</keyword> safer. </li><li>Announced in a revamped avatar in the 2022 Union Budget, the Kavach system was not rolled out on the <keyword id="6357961" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="odisha" source="Orion">Odisha</keyword> route. </li><li>Of the total route length of 1.03 lakh kilometres, only 1,455 kilometres have been brought under Kavach yet. </li></ul>The Odisha triple-train crash, which resulted in the death of 275 people and injured 1,175, has turned the focus on the Kavach initiative that aims to make Indian <keyword id="6360676" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="railways" source="Orion">railways</keyword> safer. The Kavach (translates to armour in English) system has not been rolled out on the Odisha route yet. “The Kavach system was not available on this route,” said Amitabh Sharma, Indian Railways spokesperson. The government has drawn sharp criticism from several quarters for ignoring railway safety. In a bid to prevent the incidence of accidents, the government announced in 2022 that it would start rolling out a revamped avatar of Kavach on a trial basis, initially covering 2,000 kilometres and then expanding the coverage further. However, only 1,455 kilometres of railway routes under South Central Railway have been brought under Kavach as of January 2023. The government has plans to expand it to 4,000 to 5,000 km in FY24, and has so far spent ₹17-22 crore on rolling out the system. For context, Indian Railways has a total route coverage of nearly 1.03 lakh km. Essentially, a little over 1% of Indian Railways’ route is protected by Kavach so far. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="What is Kavach?" comment="subhead" text="What is Kavach?"><keyword id="13307732" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="what-is-kavach" source="Orion">What is Kavach</keyword>?</cmsannotation> Kavach is an indigenous Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system developed by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), an Indian Railways department, way back in 2002. The Kavach system is designed to prevent collisions of trains – a leading cause of railway accidents in India. While there have been 58 railway accidents in the last 10 years, the Odisha accident is the deadliest. This protection system is aimed at avoiding accidents arising out of driver-related or technical errors, as well as aid drivers (loco pilots) in running the trains safely even in inclement weather conditions. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Could Kavach have helped avoid the Odisha accident?" comment="subhead" text="Could Kavach have helped avoid the Odisha accident?">Could Kavach have helped avoid the Odisha accident?</cmsannotation> Kavach was not active on the Odisha route. However, even if the system was deployed, it could not have prevented the tragedy, according to railway officials. The accident involved the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express, and a goods train. While the two passenger trains were running on parallel tracks, the Coromandel Express got derailed and hit the goods train. Its derailed carriages struck the rear carriages of the Howrah Superfast Express on the adjacent track, according to railway ministry officials. "If an obstruction comes suddenly in front of a high-moving vehicle, then no technology in the world would prevent an accident,"<a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1665270642797875200"> said</a> Jaya Varma Sinha, member of operation and business development, Railway Board. She added that the presence of iron ore in the goods train led to the higher number of casualties. According to Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a failure of the interlocking mechanism led to the triple-train accident. "The change that occurred during electronic interlocking caused the accident. Whoever did it and how it happened will be found out after a proper investigation," Vaihsnaw told news agency ANI. According to preliminary reports, the Coromandel Express’ loco pilot did not make an error. The train was given a signal to pass. However, it crashed into the goods train due to the failure of the interlocking mechanism putting it onto the same path as the goods train. At the time of impact, the Coromandel Express was at a speed of 128 kmph. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Railway safety in focus" comment="subhead" text="Railway safety in focus">Railway safety in focus</cmsannotation> Although officials say that the Kavach system could not have prevented the Odisha accident, it still brings railway safety into focus. According to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Indian Railways has failed to utilise funds earmarked for undertaking safety-related expenditure. The report adds that Indian Railways was supposed to spend ₹1 lakh crore from FY18 to FY23 on safety, at ₹20,000 crore per year. Of this, the government was supposed to pay ₹15,000 crore every year, and the rest crore was to be raised by the Indian Railways. The report states that the Railways failed to do so in every year between FY18 to FY23. With a little over 1% of Indian Railways’ total route length under Kavach and in the aftermath of the deadliest railway accident in decades, safety concerns are taking centrestage. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbi-mpc-likely-to-hold-repo-rate-in-june-policy-as-inflation-cools/articleshow/100760075.cms">RBI monetary policy: MPC likely to keep the pause-button pressed</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/wedding-season-drives-hero-motocorp-and-bajaj-auto-sales-in-may/articleshow/100700290.cms">Wedding bells drive two-wheeler sales in May, passenger vehicles cruise on SUVs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/indias-gdp-forecast-raised-but-el-nino-export-contraction-threats-hover/articleshow/100693955.cms">India’s GDP forecast raised but El Nino, export contraction threats hover</a>

Explained: What is Kavach? The Railways’ protective armour missing in Odisha

New Delhi,Apr 15 () India will receive normal monsoon this season, country's meteorological deprtament said on Wednesday in its forecast for the Southwest monsoon that covers 75 per cent of the country, and thereby may bring much-needed respite to the economy, which is reeling under the catastrophic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing an online briefing, IMD Director General M Mohapatra said quantitatively, the rainfall is likely to be 100 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) in the monsoon season (June-September) with a model error of 5 per cent."In these difficult times of coronavirus, the good news is that the country will receive normal rainfall during June to September. This will help our agriculture sector and better crop yield. It will definitely help in economic growth of the country," said M Rajeevan, Secretary, Minister of Earth Sciences. "The country will receive normal rainfall this season," Mohapatra said. The IMD defines 'average' or 'normal' rainfall as between 96 per cent and 104 per cent, and the LPA of the seasonal rainfall across the country for the period 1961-2010 is 88 centimetres. The country receives 75 per cent of its rainfall from the southwest monsoon during June to September. It is not only crucial for farming in the country, but also for replenishing the reservoirs,and more importantly to the economy which is still largely dependent on agriculture. Northeast monsoon is another phenomenon that brings rainfall to the Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, parts of Kerala and Andhra Pradesh during October to December. From this year the IMD also revised the dates of onset and withdrawal dates of the monsoon for several parts of the country based on the data from 1960-2019. The previous dates were based on the data from 1901 to 1940. However, the onset date for monsoon over Kerala, which is June 1, remains unchanged, Rajeevan said. In states like Maharashtra,Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar and parts of Uttar Pradesh, monsoon will be delayed by 3-7days compared to the existing normal dates.For the national capital, the new normal onset date for monsoon has been revised from June 23 to June 27 -- a delay of four days. Similarly, dates have been revised for Mumbai and Kolkata from June 10 to 11, and for Chennai from June 1 to 4. However, over extreme northwest India, the monsoon will arrive a little earlier, on July 8, as compared to the existing date of 15th July. The new date for monsoon withdrawal from south India is October 15.The IMD, the weather forecaster of the country, attributed the forecast of normal monsoon to a neutral atmospheric changes 'El Nino' and a possible 'La Nina' during the second part of the four-month rainfall season from June to September.Forecast models suggest that there is a 41 per cent chance of the season receiving normal rainfall and only 9 per cent possibility of a deficient monsoon. Last year, India had received "above normal" rainfall."Neutral El Nino Southern Oscillation(ENSO) conditions are prevailing over the Pacific Ocean and Neutral Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) conditions are prevailing over the Indian Ocean. Some climate model forecasts indicate these conditions are likely to persist during the ensuing monsoon season. "However, a few other global climate models indicate the possibility of development of weak La Nina conditions over the Pacific Ocean during the second half of the season," Rajeevan said. As sea surface temperature (SST)conditions over the Pacific and Indian Oceans are known to have strong influence on Indian monsoon, the IMD is carefully monitoring the evolution of sea surface conditions over the Pacific and the Indian oceans, Mohapatra said.El Nino is linked to the heating of waters over the central Pacific Ocean. La Nina is linked to the cooling of central Pacific waters. Positive and negative IODs are associated with cooling or heating of waters in the Indian Ocean respectively. "La Nina, or cooler-than-usual sea surface temperatures in the east-central Pacific Ocean, is typically associated with better monsoon rains and colder winters in India while El Nino is associated with below-normal rainfall in the country," Rajeevan said. PR PYKPYK

India to receive normal monsoon this season, says IMD; May bring some respite to coronavirus-hit economy

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47264420.cms" />IBM will now help <keyword id="6359081" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Surat">Surat</keyword>, Allahabad and <keyword id="6368842" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vizag">Vizag</keyword> with waste management, disaster management and citizen services and will transform them into ‘<keyword id="6377036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="smart-cities">smart cities</keyword>’. 
 
The tech giant has selected these Indian cities among 16 global locations for its smart cities programme, under which IBM will send a team of experts to each of the chosen cities to analyse data about critical issues faced by local bodies. 
 
Each consulting engagement under the 'Smarter Cities Challenge' has a commercial value of $500,000. Delhi, Ahmedabad, Pune and Chennai have already received the grant in the past. 
 "The initiative gives us the opportunity to work with city municipal corporations on diverse societal issues from transportation to disaster management, healthcare to waste management and share recommendations to become more effective in transforming citizen services," <keyword id="123121" type="COMPANY" weightage="80" keywordseo="IBM-India">IBM India</keyword> Head Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs Mamtha Sharma told PTI. 
 
Other chosen cities include Amsterdam (Netherlands), Athens (Greece), Denver, Detroit, Memphis, Rochester (New York) in the US, Melbourne (Australia), San Isidro (Peru), Santiago (Chile), Sekondi (Ghana), Taichung (Taiwan), Xuzhou and Huizhou (China). 
 Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> had vowed 100 smart cities by 2022 to meet the increasing urban population, which is expected to rise by more than 400 million people to 814 million by 2050. 
 
The Finance Ministry had allocated Rs 7,060 crore for developing these smart cities. 
 
The world is keen on setting up smart cities, where technology can help citizens access, in real time, infrastructure services like traffic, parking, lighting, and water. 
As per the news agency, by the end of 2016, IBM estimates to make such grants to more than 130 cities, with nearly 800 of IBM top experts delivering pro bono services valued at more than USD 66 million. 
 
"For the first time, in addition to providing pro bono consulting services, IBM will use IBM Watson Analytics Professional Edition to help take the city's pulse, as expressed on social media. 
 
"This might include studying travel patterns, public health, or the effects of man-made and weather events," Sharma told PTI. 
 
(Image:Reuters)

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