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Time of India
2 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Strong start for monsoon: June rainfall jumps 30% above normal in Haryana
Gurgaon: Monsoon's arrival to the country ahead of schedule precipitated surplus rain in June, with Haryana recording rainfall at 71.7mm this June, 30% higher than the average considered normal for this month. Data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows a skewed pattern of district-wise rainfall over the month. Gurgaon, where monsoon's arrival was declared two days ago, recorded a marginal surplus of 3% for now. The city logged rainfall at 48.6mm till Monday afternoon, slightly higher than 47.1mm considered normal for June. In neighbouring districts, Nuh (97.8mm, +99%) and Rewari (94.9 mm, +89%) received abundant rain, but Faridabad (-43%), Kaithal (-42%) and Panipat (-38%) posted deficits. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon Yamunanagar topped the chart, with 299.8mm of rainfall, more than double the normal level for the month. Chandigarh (213mm) and Kurukshetra (174.7mm) followed close behind, and other south Haryana districts -- Mahendergarh (+104%) and Hisar (+74%) also saw higher than usual rainfall. Monsoon in central and eastern Haryana districts appeared to be weaker. Jind (-41%), Kaithal (-42%) and Faridabad (-43%) were in the negative, which could be worrying for farmers and cities if the trend continued over the next few weeks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trending in in 2025: Local network access control [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Experts said rainfall disparities were too early to call for the state as monsoon normally covers all of Haryana by the end of June. Still, erratic rainfall patterns year after year can indicate effects of climate crisis. "After heatwave conditions in early June, southwest monsoon arrived in Delhi and surrounding areas early. While last year's delayed monsoon brought heavy rains, an early onset this year does not necessarily mean NCR will be spared intense rainfall and flooding. Our analysis shows that over the past 40 years (1982–2022), Delhi has experienced a high frequency of both deficient and excessive rainfall years. We are witnessing a glimpse of what climate change could mean for cities," said Dr Vishwas Chitale, senior programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). Dr Chitale said skewed rainfall can strain urban infrastructure and disrupt lives, and govts should start looking at ways to climate-proof Indian cities. Others pointed out that above-normal rainfall in June does not necessarily mean monsoon showers will be abundant for the rest of the rainy season. "Gurgaon needs more than just 'normal' rainfall to recharge its fast-depleting groundwater. Given the city's high population density and dependence on rain-fed recharge zones, this level of rainfall (June) offers little respite," said a senior hydrologist from the Haryana Water Resources Authority. According to IMD's forecast, this year's monsoon is expected to be above-normal for Haryana. Downpour brings city to standstill, roads flooded The city recorded a 30-minute spell of showers on Monday afternoon, and another round in the evening (which will likely increase the city's June surplus in final figures). Residents of Sector 41 said their localities were waterlogged despite a project to improve drainage system of the area. "This is lakhs of rupees down the drain, which doesn't carry any rainwater," said Puneet Pahwa, a resident. Commuters said they were stuck in traffic jams as rainwater flooded the Old Delhi Road near Shani Mandir. "Traffic cops from Maruti are heavily outnumbered. Roads are congested and nothing seems to be moving," said Madan Sharma, who was caught in the chaos.
India Today
13-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Diya Chitale: The tiny titan of Indian table tennis dreams
It's easy to miss Diya Chitale in a crowd. Standing at 4 ft 11 inches tall, the diminutive 22-year-old moves with clinical economy — not a breath wasted, not a step more than necessary. You could walk past her without a second inside a table tennis court, she transforms. Chitale becomes a force of nature. She doesn't back down from a fight. You jeer her, she answers with a cold stare and an even colder forehand. You rile her up, and she just might feed off it — and hand you a Thunderbolts found that out the hard way. In a recent Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) match against Dabang Delhi, Chitale trailed 3-7. What followed was an eight-point blitz that left 19-year-old Ananya Chande stunned and the crowd silenced. Chitale thanked the pro-Kolkata crowd post-match for fuelling her comeback.'I think the drums really helped us until the end. Thank you for the drums,' said Diya in the post-match interview with the official broadcaster, referring to the arrangements done by the opponent down to injuries is part of the journey. Rising back from it is what defines you. Restarting with unstoppable energy @WTT Star Contender Chennai. Diya Chitale (@DiyaChitaleTT) March 25, 2025The Mumbaikar is one of the standout names in India's new wave of table tennis stars. She and her partner Manush Shah are currently ranked 11th in the world in mixed doubles and recently won the WTT Contender Tunis 2025. In a thrilling final, the third-seeded duo edged past Japan's second-seeded pair of Sora Matsushima and Olympic medallist Miwa rise has come at the right time for Indian table tennis. India qualified for the team events at the 2024 Paris Olympics for the first time since the sport was introduced in 1988. The country sent its largest-ever contingent — eight players — and saw its most iconic paddler, Achanta Sharath Kamal, honoured as India's sort of recognition can go a long way for the athletes who aspire to be future Olympians and that seems to hold true for Diya Chitale, who is hell-bent on ending the country's medal drought in the competition.'Table tennis has really been on the rise in the past few years, you know, like Manika winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games. Sreeja is doing really well. So I think everything is really moving in the right direction for Indian table tennis,' Chitale told India Today in an exclusive interaction in Ahmedabad, where she is currently playing Ultimate Table Tennis, India's premier table tennis UTT, which is now in its 6th edition, has allowed Indian players a platform to play against some of the biggest talents in the world, under the umbrella of franchises. Chitale, representing Dabang Delhi, is the tournament's most expensive Indian player. Retained for Rs 14.1 lakh tokens, she's repaid that investment by helping Delhi storm into the believes India's best shot at Olympic gold lies in mixed doubles, especially with more medal events opening up in LA 2028. And the way India is closing the gap, she says, the time is now.'I think in doubles is one aspect where I see if you have a big, big chance in winning a medal for India at the Olympics, because that is now a separate event,' Diya said.'And also, over the past few years, if you've seen, we have been beating, you know, top-ranked players and we are getting there. I mean, first, like previously, if you see, I think the gap was quite a lot, but I think slowly we are bridging the gap and it's getting better with time,' she being just 22, Chitale approaches the game — and life — with startling discipline. Asked about her daily schedule, Chitale stresses training, recovery, and diet, one that can only be accomplished by uncompromising discipline. Diya Chitale (PTI Photo) advertisementIt might be by coincidence that she's come to the interview with a jacket that has 'Virat' written on it. Her obsessive regimen and steely mindset mirror the cricketer she admires. There are more parallels. On the field of play, just like Kohli, she doesn't hold back. She shrieks. She stares down opponents. She gets into the game — and into their heads.'I think when I have a break time or some time off, then typically maybe Sundays, then normally catch up on some sleep, I think that's the first thing I do. But yeah, I also like my friends and cousins, like they live pretty close. So then we just hang out, maybe play some board games, card games,' Diya said.'Honestly, there's not so much time. But yeah, it's just when it's time, not really thinking about table tennis and all and just, I like watching movies, series, so maybe something like that or like I said, just play some games or just hang out here,' she about the last film she watched, she draws a blank. That level of focus leaves little room for anything outside her Olympic tunnel very self-motivated. Like, I think from the first step on my parents never really had to push me to go for training, even since I was very young, I think I have been a very self-motivated athlete, I would say,' Diya Chitale COACH, RIGHT TIMESelf-motivation takes you far — but in sport, the right coach can take you further. Chitale credits her rise to an early spark and timely guidance from Sachin Shetty. Her first TT experience was on family vacations as a child. It was only when she won a silver medal in the U12 nationals that her family got serious about the sport.'I was a very active child, and on vacations, I would play TT as a hobby. When I won bronze in my first district tournament as a child, the journey started from there. I won the silver medal in U12 in national championships, that is when I got serious,' Chitale recalled.'My coach Sachin Shetty, I think he was the mastermind behind all of this'Sachin's advice was blunt: if you want to win medals, not just represent India, you have to think outside the box. That meant training abroad, playing more international matches, and rebuilding her changing landscape of Indian sports has also been a wind beneath the wings of the young athlete. Since Neeraj Chopra's historic gold at the Tokyo Olympics, both the Indian public and the government have risen. Diya states that she is currently in the TOPS developmental scheme, which has been of massive help in her journey.'I've really seen the change through the years and I feel now other people also know players, other than cricket. If you are someone who is PV Sindhu, of course they know. You are someone who is Neeraj Chopra, of course they know now. So I think this is something that has really been changing and people are watching other sports also a lot nowadays. So, of course, to reach the level of cricket, it will, of course, take some time, I think. But I think it's just getting better with time,' Diya STANDS TO CENTRE STAGEOne part of the increase of awareness has to be attributed to the Ultimate Table Tennis competition, which started in 2017. For any aspiring athlete, it is important to see their heroes on TV, and more importantly, it is crucial for them to get a feel of the crowd, to soak in the energy. Diya Chitale reveals that she was in the stands during the first season of the tournament and absolutely loved her experience in is perhaps important in the development of her character on the court as well, which interacts with the crowd, feeds off them and lifts them up with her every passing played for the first time in the competition in 2023 - with her hometown team U Mumba. It was a disastrous season for her, where she failed to win a single match. But she swears that it taught her how to deal with pressure, with to 2025, she is the most expensive player in the auction and also one of the biggest players in the Indian circuit.'UTT started in 2017 and at that time, also, I was following everything very keenly. I was also actually in the stands, you know, I was there for the matches. In 2023, I finally got a chance. I was drafted into U Mumba and I got a chance to play. But yeah, my first season was not very good. I did not win a single match. I think the atmosphere here that they have created is totally different, like the pressure in these kinds of situations is on a different level, you know?' she Diya got up to leave, a wry smile flashed across her face. The 45-minute interview had eaten into her meticulously planned day — but she didn't seem if small deviations still bother her, she chuckled. She's learning to let go, she said. Learning not to grip her goals too tightly.'The more you hang on to something and the more pressure you put on it that, okay, I have to do this, I have to do this, the further it gets away. So this is something that I really learned over the past one, two years. So I think this is like what I have tried to change is just to put in everyday work and yeah, when it comes, it comes. If not, I will try one more time,' Chitale concluded.
India Today
27-05-2025
- Climate
- India Today
Shift in rain patterns, weather big concern as climate change hits India
India is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to projected climate change impacts, with heat stress emerging as the single largest concern. The prospect of extreme heat and heat stress arises from the widespread, rapid changes in ocean temperatures combined with steadily rising atmospheric heat India Heat Summit 2025 is deliberating on the issue of rising temperatures and shared solutions. The summit will also advise the government on long-term measures to deal with its deliberation is also focusing on issues related to unseasonal rainfall and the very frequent heavy rainfall occurring in the western parts of India, including the record-breaking rains in Mumbai on Monday—breaching a hundred-year record. Environmentalists are concerned about such frequent incidents of high-intensity rain occurring in a short Swaminathan, environmentalist and Chairperson of MSSRF, told India Today that Urban flooding is rising due to multiple factors—partly climate change, and partly poor planning. While total rainfall hasn't changed much over the decade, it's now falling in fewer hours, making it harder for cities to cope. "Yes, climate change has intensified rainfall — but it's also a planning failure. We need to rethink urban design. We can't keep building the same way in Delhi, the Himalayas, and coastal areas. That approach must change," she Chitale, environmentalist at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, points out that erratic rainfall and early monsoons aren't entirely new phenomena—they've been observed over many years. However, what has changed is the intensity and concentration of rainfall in short show that regions like Rajasthan, Gujarat, central Maharashtra, and Karnataka have seen rainfall increase by up to 30% over the last decade compared to the previous 30-year average. This rise isn't spread evenly across the season; instead, it is marked by short, intense downpours, such as those seen recently in Mumbai—an outcome of increasingly erratic monsoon stresses the need for proactive prevention through robust early warning systems. He highlights India's ongoing efforts, such as the Monsoon Mission weather forecast model, as important steps forward. But he adds that what's crucial now is scaling these systems across urban India with detailed observation networks to provide timely alerts and minimize damage from such extreme agree that these extreme weather patterns are a direct result of climate change, but also point to significant governance gaps. Aarti Khosla from Climate Trends noted that warming oceans are carrying more moisture, leading to more intense and erratic rainfall. She emphasised that cities are ill-prepared for such events, lacking resilient infrastructure for transport, public health, and emergency response. According to her, the early onset of the southwest monsoon, as seen in Mumbai, is a warning sign—and India must urgently integrate weather data with urban planning to protect vulnerable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN's climate science body, India is projected to be one of the most vulnerable regions to escalating heatwaves, humid heat stress, and other extreme weather events in a 1.5C warmer world—threats that could bring irreversible over 90% of its workforce employed in the informal sector, in the world's most densely populated country, India faces heightened exposure to both the physical dangers and economic risks of rising heat recent years, the country has experienced record-breaking temperatures year after year, with early summer arriving as soon as February or March. Heatwaves have become more frequent, prolonged, and many areas, temperatures have soared close to 50C in recent years—leading to increased illness and loss of life, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, and outdoor spans five distinct climatic zones—tropical, arid, semi-arid, temperate, and alpine—all of which are now experiencing severe disruptions due to rising the north, accelerated glacial melt and glacial lake formation are intensifying flood risks. Forest fires and water scarcity are putting pressure on hill ecosystems in states like arid and semi-arid regions are seeing erratic rainfall patterns, upending agricultural cycles. Traditional climate zones are flipping: flood-prone areas now face droughts, and vice India's 7,500-km coastline, the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea are witnessing increased cyclogenesis—leading to stronger, more frequent storms, saltwater intrusion, humid heatwaves, affected fisheries, and rising sea level studies show a clear spatial-temporal shift in heatwave occurrences across India, with rising trends in three major regions: north-western, central, and south-central to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the most affected states and union territories include Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and economic and social toll of these extreme conditions is enormous. The Reserve Bank of India estimates that extreme heat and humidity could lead to a 4.5% loss in GDP by 2030 due to reduced labour in monsoon patterns and rising temperatures could further reduce GDP by 2.8% by 2030, potentially lowering living standards for nearly half the population by effective mitigation policies, India could face annual GDP losses of 3-10% by climate-induced extremes intensify, it's critical to assess temperature-related risks across key sectors like energy, industry, agriculture, and urban May 2024, India's power consumption surged by 15%, reaching a record peak demand of 250.07 GW, driven by extreme heat and surpassing all previous temperatures have increased the demand for residential cooling, industrial operations, and irrigation, making India more reliant on thermal power to meet its growing energy project a 9-10% increase in energy demand in 2025, driven in part by a sharp rise in air conditioner sales—highlighting both the rising energy demand and the growing disparity in generation to transmission to distribution, high temperatures strain energy systems. Experts note that as a conductor heats up, its molecules vibrate more, increasing resistance and reducing became evident in 2022, when India experienced its worst electricity shortage in over six years, leading to power cuts in homes and industries. For the manufacturing sector, such supply disruptions can severely impact production timelines and raise impact of heat stress extends far beyond the power grid. According to the World Bank, over 34 million jobs in India could be at risk due to heat exposure. Between 2001 and 2020, India lost around 259 billion hours of labour—worth US$ 624 billion (INR 46 lakh crore) annually—due to extreme heat and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs)—the backbone of the economy—are especially vulnerable to productivity declines, infrastructure damage, supply chain disruptions, and job 2022, heatwaves forced India to ban wheat exports after extreme temperatures slashed yields—highlighting the vulnerability of both the agriculture sector and global food supply scientists say heat stress has reduced rice yields by 15–20% across different to NDMA, broader impacts of heat stress on agriculture include declining soil moisture, water insecurity, increasing pest varieties, crop wilting, reduced food quality and nutrition, lower milk production, and impacts on animal growing threat of heat stress calls for urgent mid- and long-term strategies—both structural and non-structural—to limit economic and social fallout. Heat Action Plans remain India's main policy tool but require stronger coordination, greater investment, and cross-sector build resilience, India will need investment in cooling infrastructure, better urban design, early warning systems, and adaptive social protection. The real challenge lies in not just recognising heat as an economic threat, but also in mobilising targeted finance to tackle it and protect challenge is unique: it must build heat resilience while sustaining economic growth to create jobs and lift millions out of poverty. This calls for coordinated solutions from national, state, and local governments, industries, and Heat Conference being organised by Climate Trends aims to bring together these stakeholders to address what may be India's single greatest climate Watch
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Business Standard
Delhi logs wettest May ever as more rain, thunderstorms expected: IMD
Delhi is set to experience cloudy skies, thunderstorms, and rain for the remainder of May, which has already become the wettest on record, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday (May 26). In its weekly forecast, the IMD said the national capital is likely to see overcast conditions with chances of thunder, lightning, and showers. Winds are expected to blow at speeds of 30–50 kmph, with gusts reaching up to 60 kmph. Minimum temperatures will range between 25°C and 27°C, while maximum temperatures may vary from 33°C to 37°C. Wettest May since records began A sudden change in the weather on Saturday (May 24) brought 81.4 mm of rain in a few hours, making this May the wettest since 1901, the IMD said. Total rainfall so far this month has reached 186.4 mm, surpassing the previous record of 165 mm set in May 2008. Sunday's rain, classified as "heavy" by the IMD, was also the second-highest 24-hour rainfall recorded in May in Delhi. The highest remains 119.3 mm on May 20, 2021. Storm caused by multiple weather systems The intense downpour was triggered by the convergence of moist southeasterly winds and dry westerlies. This was further intensified by three weather systems: a western disturbance over north Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir, and two upper-air cyclonic circulations — one over northwest Uttar Pradesh and north Haryana, and the other over west Rajasthan. Earlier this month, on May 2, Delhi had already received 77 mm of rain, according to IMD data. Experts say the unseasonal and heavy rainfall in May is a sign of evolving weather patterns. 'While localised systems like western disturbances have contributed, the larger trend points to a warming atmosphere that holds more moisture and disrupts established seasonal rhythms,' said Vishwas Chitale, Senior Programme Lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), to PTI. In 2024, Delhi saw heavy rainfall in late June following an extreme heatwave. Chitale added that although the monsoon arrived in Kerala earlier than usual this year, it is expected to reach Delhi around its normal schedule. However, he cautioned: 'Such extremes — in both heat and rainfall — serve as a reminder that monsoon arrival alone no longer defines climate preparedness.' Monsoon arrives early in Mumbai Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon reached Mumbai on Monday, marking its earliest arrival in more than 70 years, according to the IMD. The city experienced heavy rain, flooding, and disruptions to transport and flights. 'Southwest monsoon made its onset over Mumbai on May 26. This is the earliest onset in the last 75 years,' IMD scientist Sushma Nair told PTI. Normally, the monsoon reaches Mumbai around June 11. Nair added that the previous earliest onset was May 29 — recorded in 1956, 1962, and 1971 — making this year's onset three days earlier. The monsoon also advanced into Pune on Monday, IMD officials confirmed. Bharat Forecast System launched In a related development, the Ministry of Earth Sciences on Monday launched a home-grown weather prediction platform called the Bharat Forecast System. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, speaking at the launch, said the new forecasting model will boost IMD's capability in providing precise and timely weather updates. "The time has come to see what our contribution to our target of 2047 will be in the context of IMD... Our focus should be on how much role the IMD plays in bringing the Indian economy to the top, both in terms of preventing potential loss and increasing potential gains," Singh said. He added that IMD's forecasting infrastructure is becoming increasingly state-of-the-art, with advancements already made in cities like Chennai and Mumbai and similar improvements planned for Delhi.
The Print
20-05-2025
- Sport
- The Print
Ghorpade-Chitale advance to pre-quarters, Sutirtha-Ayhika ousted from TT World C'ships
However, the 14th-seeded Indian pair of Sutirtha and Ayhika suffered a straight-game defeat to the lower-ranked German duo of Annett Kaufmann and Xiaona Shan, losing 1-11, 11-13, 7-11 in just 23 minutes. Chitale and Ghorpade rallied from a game down to beat the Singaporean duo of Zeng Jian and Ser Lin Qian 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-9 in their round-of-32 clash. Doha, May 19 (PTI) Indian women's doubles pair of Yashaswini Ghorpade and Diya Chitale advanced to pre-quarterfinals but their compatriots Sutirtha Mukherjee and Ayhika Mukherjee were knocked out of the World Table Tennis Championships, here on Monday. India's mixed doubles campaign also came to an end with Chitale and Manush Shah losing 0-3 (8-11, 9-11, 2-11) to the Korean pair of Oh Junsung and Kim Nayeong. It turned out to be a disappointing day for Shah, who endured a hat-trick of defeats. After the mixed doubles loss, he was ousted from the men's singles event by sixth seed Felix Lebrun of France, going down 0-4 (5-11, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11) in the second round. Later, Shah also exited the men's doubles competition. Partnering Manav Thakkar, the eighth-seeded Indian duo lost tamely 5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 5-11 to the unseeded German pair of Benedikt Duda and Dang Qiu. PTI APA DDV This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
