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Cherrapunji or the Sohra weather station of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), one of the wettest places on the planet, has received 50 percent less rainfall this year.
On the other hand, places in Karnataka and Maharashtra have received more rainfall than Cherrapunji this year. Surlabbi station in Somwarpet taluk of Kodagu district in Karnataka has received the highest rainfall of at 7,300 mm, of which 5,951 mm was during the monsoon season. Tamhini in Maharashtra received the highest rainfall of 5,788 mm across the country for the first two months of the monsoon. At least 32 stations across the country received more rains between June 1 and July 31 than Cherrapunji.
Meghalaya experienced the highest deficit rainfall in the country at 43 percent with six of the 11 districts of the state being affected by lower rainfall. The worst affected has been West Jaintia Hills. Cherrapunji and Mawsynram, known to be the wettest in the world, fall in the East Khasi Hills district, which has received 29 percent less rainfall than the normal during the monsoon season (Down To Earth).
A recent study has found that the soils of the 2,300 square kilometer Banni grasslands in Kutch, the largest tropical grasslands and one of India’s most unique saline grassland-wetland ecosystems, harbour a wealth of organic carbon to the range of 27.69 million tonnes . However, domestic policies focus on trees and forests to increase carbon storage while grasslands are rarely factored in though their soil is responsible for 55 percent of the country’s carbon stock.
Many of the grasslands continue to be neglected and have been invaded by Prosopis juliflora, an invasive plant that was introduced in the 1960s to combat soil salinisation and improve green cover. This invasive species has now spread to around 50 percent of the Banni grasslands.
Communities and individuals have been working on restoring grasslands and it has been found that the restored grasslands sites known as vaadas show the highest soil organic carbon density, at 143 tonnes of carbon per hectare.
Following the vaadas are wetlands that store around 138.59 tonnes of carbon per hectare and saline brushlands that store around around 125.75 tonnes per hectare. Areas with Prosopis and mixed vegetation show the lowest storage density at 105.56 tonnes per hectare. (The Scroll).
India has successfully developed its first indigenous water-soluble fertiliser technology after seven years of research. This has the potential to transform the country from an import-dependent nation to an export-dominating force in specialty fertilisers. While only 5 percent of NPK formulations are produced domestically in India, 95 percent of the other fertilisers are imported from countries such as China.
The technology, has been developed using Indian raw materials and Indian-designed plants, and holds the promise of reducing the country's heavy dependence on fertiliser imports. It has undergone intense government scrutiny and has received Ministry of Mines support for developing a pilot plant that is now ready for scaling-up. The technology is expected to hit the farmers' fields within two years and joint venture discussions are already underway with leading fertiliser companies for commercial implementation (Economic Times)
Glacier melt due to global warming has doubled river flows in the Himalayas over the past decade, with 10 percent of the region seeing doubled river volumes, creating both benefits and serious risks, finds a recent study.
Rivers in the western Himalayas, which depend heavily on glaciers, show greater increases in flow. In contrast, eastern rivers, which rely more on rainfall, are seeing smaller changes. This uneven impact can raise challenges for sustainable management of water for communities that depend on hydropower and agriculture in the Himalayas.
The short-term increase in water could offer more supply for hydropower, farming, and household needs, but also bring more sediment, such as sand, gravel, and silt, that clogs turbines and damages aquatic systems. However, this surge can be temporary and could lead to less water and more instability in the long term. Smart dam planning and better sediment management are thus urgently needed in the region to adapt to shifting river volumes in the western rivers (SIGMAEARTH).
An estimated 7.47 million tonnes of pine needles fall across the Indian Himalayan region every year, creating a fire hazard that gets deadlier with climate change. Recent research however shows that these needles can be used as fuel, and replace 4.7 million tonnes of coal needed to generate electricity to power the region. Pine needle biochar can be co-fired with coal in power plants across Himalayan states — to generate 6.4 terawatt-hours of electricity and cut carbon emissions by 5.8 million tonnes annually, while reducing forest fires.
Pine needle biochar produced at 600°C with 10°C per minute heating rate can serve as a good replacement for coal because of its high carbon content, help create new jobs and solve frequent forest fires while drastically reducing the share of coal in power plants, in line with India’s net-zero targets by 2070.
This research could be relevant to Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Northeast India, which face recurring forest fires caused by fallen pine needles (Mongabay, India).
This is a roundup of news updates from August 16, 2025 to August 31, 2025. Read our policy updates here