South Asia

South Asia: Deficits forecast to moderate in Afghanistan

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 southern India

South Asia: Intense water deficits forecast for southern India

The forecast through November indicates that water deficits will persist in Afghanistan, but exceptional deficits will retreat to the southwest. Deficits in southwestern Pakistan will downgrade but remain intense. In India, significant deficits are forecast in the southern third of the country and may be exceptional in pockets of Karnataka and Kerala. Surpluses will downgrade but remain intense in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

South Asia: Exceptional water deficits will persist in Afghanistan

South Asia: Exceptional water deficits will persist in Afghanistan

Through October, exceptional water deficits will dominate Afghanistan’s west and northwest. In India, moderate deficits will cover much of the southern two-thirds of the country with more intense deficits in western Telangana, Karnataka, southeastern Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and central Chhattisgarh. Surpluses will downgrade but remain intense in Bangladesh, and will shrink and moderate in Nepal, though remaining exceptional along the Gandaki River.

South Asia: Intense water deficits will increase in Afghanistan

South Asia: Intense water deficits will increase in Afghanistan

Through September, exceptional water deficits will increase in Afghanistan, reaching the southern border to dominate roughly two-thirds of the country. Deficits in southern Pakistan are expected to shrink and moderate; moderate surpluses are forecast along the Indus River in the north. In India, primarily moderate deficits will persist in a wide band across the center of the country, but may be more intense in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha. Deficits will increase and intensify in southern India. Surpluses in Bangladesh will shrink and downgrade.

South Asia: Exceptional water deficits will persist in Afghanistan

South Asia: Exceptional water deficits will persist in Afghanistan

Exceptional water deficits are forecast to persist in Afghanistan, retreating slightly in the north but increasing in the south. Pakistan should get a reprieve as intense deficits diminish considerably, leaving moderate to severe conditions in western Baluchistan. India will transition out of widespread deficit to milder conditions, with moderate deficits in the south and more severe deficits in the Far Northeast, particularly Assam. Surpluses will downgrade to moderate in West Bengal, and will shrink and downgrade in Bangladesh while remaining fairly intense, especially in Dhaka Division.