August traditionally contributes the highest share of Delhi’s annual rainfall, making it the most important month for bridging the seasonal deficit. However, the outlook is not encouraging.
So far, the city has received only 1 mm of rainfall in August compared with the normal average of 23.9 mm, leaving the month nearly 96% below normal. Weather officials have indicated that August is also likely to witness below-average rainfall, reducing the chances of recovering the year’s rainfall shortfall.
At the same time, concerns are growing over Delhi’s air pollution preparedness. With the pollution season approaching in October, the Decision Support System (DSS), which helps identify pollution sources and provides short-term forecasts used for implementing the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), has not yet been fully upgraded. The system has faced technical issues in recent years, affecting pollution forecasting.