A deficient monsoon is less a warning of immediate food scarcity than a test of how well India can manage a more volatile and uneven water regime. Kolhapur: India has ended the 2026 southwest monsoon season with rainfall 12.6 percent below the long-period average, making it the driest monsoon since 2015 and the fourth-driest since 2001. With El Niño influence strengthening, heatwaves becoming more intense and pressure on water resources mounting, the challenge is no longer si