Officials and farmers in India are preparing for what meteorologists say could be the driest monsoon season in a decade.
Gurpreet Singh, a paddy farmer in India's northern Punjab state, is among millions of farmers anxiously watching the progress of India's monsoon season, with this year's El Nino raising concerns for agriculture, food prices and water security.
El Nino happens when sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean become unusually warm, altering rainfall patterns and weather systems across large parts of the world, including India.
This year, a very strong El Nino is forecast, which has historically been associated with weaker monsoon rains in India.
A prolonged rainfall deficit during the "kharif," as the summer monsoon crop season is called, could force farmers to rely more heavily on irrigation, raising cultivation costs and increasing pressure on already-stressed groundwater reserves.
