India starts providing El Nino warning to South Asian nation

After updates on temperature and monsoon, India has now started giving El Nino warning to South Asian countries.

Information on El Nino is being updated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for all South Asian countries including Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The service is also extended to Myanmar.

“We have started giving information about El Nino to all South Asian countries,” Rajeevan, Secretary Ministry of Earth Sciences said. S Pai, senior meteorologist with the IMD, said the information is being updated every month.

“The World Meteorological Organisation has nominated India as the Regional Climate Centre and by that virtue, we give information to other South Asian countries on temperature and monsoon.

“Now, we have also started giving information on El Nino,” Pai said.

El Nino is associated with a band of warm ocean water that develops in the central and east-central equatorial Pacific ocean. Its impact is severe on many countries, including South Asia, as it directly affects the monsoon and thereby the economy.

El Nino has hit monsoon hard in the sub-continent and under its influence India registered deficient rainfall for the second year in a row. So, the warning is crucial for South Asian economies as agriculture in most of these countries, including India, depends on rains.

India also provides information about cyclones originating in the north Indian Ocean, which has Bay of Bengal, Andaman Sea and the Arabian Sea, to seven countries including Pakistan, Oman, Maldives, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Last year, it had also shared information about cyclones with Yemen and Somalia. It also has a Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre for Cyclone.

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