Meghalaya, famed as one of the wettest places on Earth, is facing its highest-ever monsoon rainfall deficit in 2026, with a 59% shortfall and 10 of 11 districts classified as deficient or largely deficient.
This emerging drought-like situation threatens agriculture, water security, and spring-fed drinking supplies, compounding long-term trends of declining monsoon rainfall and climate stress.
The 2026 southwest monsoon season is nearing its end but Meghalaya, one of the rainiest states in India and one of the rainiest places on Earth, experienced the highest deficit in rainfall in the country throughout the season. This is an indication of drought like conditions in the state with possible impacts on agricultural productivity and water security.
As of September 15, Meghalaya received 59 per cent less rainfall than the normal with 10 of its 11 districts under deficient (20 to 59 per cent less rainfall than normal) or large deficient (60 to 99 per cent less rainfall than normal) rainfall during the monsoon season, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The highest deficit was in the West Jaintia Hills district with 79 per cent less rainfall than normal. The East Khasi Hills district with two of the rainiest places on the planet, Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, experienced 53 per cent deficient rains. The only exception to the rainless monsoon was the Southwest Khasi Hills district with an excess rainfall of 58 per cent, as of September 15.
The high deficit rainfall over Meghalaya has remained a constant feature of the southwest monsoon season of 2026. On July 1, after the first month of monsoon Meghalaya showed 74 per cent less rainfall than normal and it was the highest deficit among states that had already been covered by the monsoon winds.
By July 31, the deficit in rainfall fell to 58 per cent but it was the highest in the country, a ranking that the state has held since. A month later on August 31, Meghalaya’s rainfall deficiency was still 58 per cent.
The reduction of rainfall during the current monsoon season agrees with the long term trend observed in Meghalaya. A 30 year (1989-2018) analysis of monsoon rainfall data by the IMD showed a significant decreasing trend in monsoon rainfall during the period.
Around 77 per cent of the working population of Meghalaya is dependent on agriculture and the sector is responsible for 21 per cent of the state’s economy. Despite this the total cropped area of the state is only 15.28 per cent (around 3.43 lakh ha) spread over five different agro-climatic zones. Out this the net irritated area is only 31,796 ha.
Most of this agriculture is irrigated by streams and springs in turn fed by rainfall. If the rainfall remains scarce over extended periods of time, the livelihoods of a large section of the state’s population will become jeopardised. The springs are also essential for the availability of drinking water for the people and are already under pressure from other human activities.
“Meghalaya, known for its high rainfall, faces significant water stress despite approximately 80% of its villages relying heavily on springs for drinking water and irrigation,” according to a conference paper from the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA). The MBDA is also responsible for the preparation of the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) for Meghalaya.
“This reliance is threatened by anthropogenic activities like mining, unsustainable agriculture, and forest resource extraction, which have led to the drying up or reduced water discharge of about 50% of these springs. Rural communities perceive changes in spring quality as indicative of broader shifts in climate and land use patterns,” the paper added.
Agriculture and allied sector is one of eight priority sectors identified by the SAPCC 2023-2030 of Meghalaya published in 2025 for climate change mitigation and adaptation planning.