1987: when nearly half of India was in drought

The 1987 monsoon came during a moderate El Niño, according to IMD's El Niño and monsoon table. Rain for June to September was 14.3% below normal.

Nearly half the country. IMD Pune's drought climatology report says 47.7% of India's area was in drought in 1987. That ranks fourth since 1875, after 1918 (70%), 1899 (68%) and 1877 (59%). No year in between had a larger drought area.

The damage. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC, part of ISRO) records that the 1987 drought damaged 58.6 million hectares of cropped area and affected more than 285 million people.

A lesson in spread. In IMD's table, 1987's rain shortfall (−14.3%) was smaller than 1972's (−22.3%). Yet IMD's drought report puts a larger share of the country in drought in 1987 (47.7% vs 39%). How widely a shortfall spreads matters as much as its size.

The El Niño link. IMD's report notes that the widespread droughts the world saw in 1972, 1982 and 1987 have been attributed to El Niño. Still, El Niño does not always mean drought for India.

For 2026. This year's monsoon ended at 87% of the long-period average, and 282 of 741 districts were deficient (IMD). Planning for water and crops matters now.

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