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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Erratic weather is hurting Indian firms in the biggest consumer market
India experienced extreme weather events on 88% of days in 2024 in one or more parts of the country, according to a database maintained by Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth. Indian companies, already facing a demand slump, are now grappling with unpredictable weather patterns. Unseasonal rains and cooler summers have impacted sales for major players in sectors like air conditioning and beverages, forcing production cuts and inventory adjustments. Businesses are increasingly turning to advanced weather forecasting to mitigate risks and adapt to the growing challenges posed by climate change. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Some of India's largest companies, already hit by a demand slump, are facing a new threat in wooing the country's 1.4 billion consumers: unpredictable weather.A cooler-than-usual summer this year — followed by the earliest onset of rain since 2009 — has hurt companies selling everything from talcum powder to air conditioners. Blue Star Ltd. , one of the largest AC sellers in the country, had to cut production by as much as 25% between April and June, as it saw fewer buyers. It also delayed imports of compressors, a key input, and extended credit to some dealerships saddled with unsold inventories. Rivals Havells Ltd. and Tata-owned Voltas Ltd. also flagged a sales slowdown.'It's like a wedding was to happen, but the wedding has now been canceled,' said B Thiagarajan, managing director at Blue Star, adding that it was a 'painful' time.A four-fold jump in frequency, unpredictability and intensity of extreme weather events in India over the past four decades has made planning and preparedness more demanding for companies. From Hindustan Unilever Ltd. to food delivery app Zomato-owner Eternal Ltd. to engineering giant Larsen & Tourbro Ltd., it's affecting everything from sales to labor and supply chain management in the world's biggest consumer situation as one of the most affected nations by climate change provides a glimpse of what's in store for other major economies as environmental change accelerates. As record-breaking temperatures, rains and other extreme weather occur worldwide, companies are likely to be left scrambling to predict and plan for the earnings calls over the last six months, top management and equity analysts discussed 'delayed summer' and 'delayed winter' the most in five years, according to transcripts analyzed by Bloomberg News.'This quarter is slightly challenging as far as the summer portfolio is concerned,' Mohan Goenka, vice chairman of Emami Ltd., whose products include talc powder, told investors on an earnings call last month. The company will try to make up for the setback through its other segments, he added. Varun Beverages Ltd. , which bottles Pepsi in India, had said in April that it was ramping up production for the summer, expecting higher demand. Instead, unseasonal rains likely hurt performance at the beverage maker, according to analysts at brokerage also flagged weaker demand at Dabur Ltd. , which sells fruit juices, and Tata Consumer Products Ltd. , which sells cold summer demand, 'once missed, is difficult to recover,' analysts at Nuvama, led by Abneesh Roy, said in a note to incidence of heat waves, for example, was among factors causing a shortage of labor at Larsen, even as it split shifts between early morning and late afternoon. Eternal, which operates Zomato and Blinkit, said it faces a seasonal shortage of delivery workers in the Unilever, which sells skincare brands including Ponds and Vaseline, said it saw muted performance in the December quarter partly due to a delayed experienced extreme weather events on 88% of days in 2024 in one or more parts of the country, according to a database maintained by Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth. Between 1993 and 2022, the South Asian nation lost about $180 billion to severe heat and rains, the Climate Risk Index 2025 report forecasting in India has been plagued by outdated technology and modeling systems that make it difficult to get accurate bridge this gap, the country launched a new weather model last month to improve its forecasting by doubling the level of detail previously possible. Intended to improve farming and flood management, the model could also help companies as they seek better and more granular data.'Businesses, while they were aware of the financial impact of weather, simply did not have enough reliable data that could be potentially put to use,' said Samuel John, co-founder and CEO of forecasting firm have changed in the half-decade since Covid, and weather forecasting has gone mainstream, John of the farm sector, companies from industries such as consumption, quick commerce, logistics, and construction are increasingly approaching Skymet Weather Services Pvt., its chief executive officer Yogesh Patil said. These newer clients, who seek structured, calendar-linked forecasting dashboards, now make up about half of the Reliance Industries Ltd. unit's has also set up over 750 of its own weather stations across 60 cities to collect detailed companies navigate the new normal of erratic weather, planning and diversification are Star's management is confident of recovering a large portion of the lost sales through the rest of the year, by working with more corporate clients where demand largely remains stable. But climate mitigation is becoming an important subject to Thiagarajan, who has worked in air conditioning for four decades.'Predictability is dropping year after year,' he said. 'You can only be prepared for the worst.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Rain, winds give Delhi best AQI since Sept 29
New Delhi: Rain accompanied by gusty winds helped Delhiites inhale the purest air they had access to in 261 days. The city's AQI on Wednesday was 81 and 'satisfactory', with the index lower than this only on Sept 29 last year at 76. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This year so far, Delhi has witnessed just three 'satisfactory' days and there has been no 'good' air day. The last 'good' air day was Sept 10, 2023, when the AQI read 45 due to rains and the restrictions imposed for the G20 Summit. The Central Pollution Control Board defines a 'good' air day as one when AQI is below 51, while a 'satisfactory' level has AQI reading 51-100. The city's AQI was 104 on Tuesday. Delhi logged 29mm of rainfall in the last 24 hours till 8.30am on Wednesday. The rain was accompanied by winds with speed up to 45 kmph. These aided in settling the pollutants. Experts said on Wednesday that pollution has to be dealt at the source level to ensure similar AQI readings throughout the year. "Weather and climate will always impact daily short-term trends. But irrespective of this variation and climatic influence, we need to achieve sustained longer-term reduction with scale and speed of clean air action," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment. Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst, EnviroCatalysts, said, "The fact that sustained rain and good wind speed could bring AQI down to the 'satisfactory' level says loudly that emissions from contributing sectors, transport, industry, construction, and waste, etc., are so high that even the wind and rain washing the pollutants couldn't provide breathable 'good' air quality." Dahiya added that while the slightly better air quality was a respite for the citizens, aggressive actions towards reducing emission load from contributing sectors were the only solutions that can help reduce pollution throughout the year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In March, the city enjoyed two consecutive 'satisfactory' air days on March 15 and 16 with AQI, respectively, of 85 and 99. CPCB's data shows that between Jan 1 and June 17, Delhi recorded 80 'moderate' days, 68 'poor' days and 18 'very poor' days. In the same period last year, there were 84 'moderate' days, 49 'poor' days, 32 'very poor' days and three 'severe' days. CPCB classifies AQI between 101 and 200 as 'moderate', between 201 and 300 as 'poor', between 301 and 400 as 'very poor' and over 400 as 'severe'.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Ozone pollution this year highest since 2021 in Delhi: Report
Delhi has recorded its highest ozone (O3) levels this summer in the last five years, with readings breaching the safe mark for 14.2 hours on an average in a day, a report shows. This eight-hour rolling average has gone up from 12 hours in a day from the last two summers, 11.7 hours in 2022 and 12.2 hours in 2021, according to the report released by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Tuesday. The eight-hour safe standard for the pollutant is 100 μg/m3. The analysis also shows that Delhi recorded its widest geographical spread of ozone exceedance in the past five years this summer, with south Delhi and northwest Delhi being the worst impacted. CSE said ground-level ozone levels exceeded the national safety standards on all 92 days in the summer period – considered as March 1 till May 31, while it exceeded the safe standards on 83 out of the 92 days in the summer. 'Ground-level ozone pollution remained consistently high across the region, with the maximum concentration exceeding 100 µg/m³ on each of the 92 days between March 1 and May 31, highlighting the persistent and widespread nature of the problem. The worst day in terms of spatial spread was April 28, when 32 out of 58 monitoring stations across the region reported ozone levels above the safe limit. The highest regional intensity was recorded on April 13, with the Delhi-NCR average reaching 135 µg/m³..' said the analysis. Unlike primary pollutants (emitted directly from sources), ozone is not emitted directly from any source, but is formed through chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and carbon monoxide — pollutants released by vehicles, power plants, factories and other combustion sources. In the presence of sunlight, these substances undergo a series of cyclic reactions that result in the formation of ozone near the ground. CSE took into account summer trends from 2021 to 2025 (up to May 31) available on the Central Pollution Control Board's official portal. Data showed that Nehru Nagar was the worst impacted station, exceeding standards on all 92 days. This was followed by Najafgarh (82 days) and Okhla Phase-II (81 days). In comparison, six locations – Anand Vihar, IHBAS, ITO, Shadipur, Narela and Knowledge Park in Greater Noida did not exceed the standards even on a single day this summer. 'This summer, several days have recorded ozone — instead of particulate matter — as the lead pollutant in the daily Air Quality Index (AQI). Out of 18 days between May 25 and June 11, ozone has been the lead pollutant on 12,' said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director and in-charge of clean air programme at CSE. 'But there is no system to address this problem under the current Graded Response Action Plan for emergency action to reduce exposure or to address its sustained mitigation with longer term clean air action plan. While the policy attention is nearly fully focused on particulate pollution, co-control of toxic gases from vehicles, industry and combustion sources that contribute to ozone formation in the air is neglected,' she said, calling for focused action against the highly reactive gas.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Ground-level ozone at 5-yr high; south, northwest Delhi worst hit
New Delhi: The city experienced its highest ozone levels in five years this summer, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment. The eight-hour rolling average of the gas exceeded safe standards for 14.2 hours daily, increasing from 12 hours in previous summers. The analysis revealed that south and northwest Delhi were most affected, showing the broadest geographical spread of ozone exceedance since 2018. The study indicated that ground-level ozone surpassed national safety standards throughout the 92-day summer period from March 1 to May 31, with breaches occurring on 83 days. The established eight-hour standard for O3 is 100 micrograms per cubic metre. "Ground-level ozone pollution remained consistently high across the region, with the maximum concentration exceeding 100 microgram per cubic metre on each of the 92 days between March 1 and May 31, highlighting the persistent and widespread nature of the problem," the study said. "The worst day in terms of spatial spread was April 28, when 32 out of 58 monitoring stations across the region reported ozone levels above the safe limit. The highest regional intensity was recorded on April 13, with the Delhi-NCR average reaching 135." Ozone forms through chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, which are released by vehicles, power plants and factories. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 34歳以上の男性が今年最高のPCゲームと絶賛！今すぐ無料でダウンロード BuzzDaily Winners ゲームをプレイ Undo These substances react in sunlight to create ground-level ozone. This highly reactive gas poses serious health risks. It can inflame and damage the airways, increase susceptibility to infections and worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. CSE analysed summer trends from 2021 to 2025 (until May 31) using CPCB's official online portal, Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. The findings showed Nehru Nagar breached the safe level on all 92 days, followed by Najafgarh (82 days) and Okhla Phase-II (81 days). Only six locations, Anand Vihar, IHBAS, ITO, Shadipur, Narela and Knowledge Park in Greater Noida, maintained levels below the standard. On several days this summer, therefore, ozone was the lead pollutant instead of particulate matter in the daily air quality index. "Out of 18 days between May 25 and June 11, ozone was the lead pollutant on 12," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE. The study also said there was no system to address the ozone problem under the Graded Response Action Plan. "While the policy attention is nearly fully focused on particulate pollution, co-control of toxic gases from vehicles, industry and combustion sources that contribute to ozone formation in the air is neglected," Roychowdhury pointed out, calling for measures to curb ozone.
Sinar Daily
6 days ago
- Climate
- Sinar Daily
Climate change heightens risk of Indian farmer suicides
Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure. 14 Jun 2025 08:00pm In this photograph taken on May 3, 2025, Shaikh Imran, whose brother Shaikh Latif Sheru, a farmer who committed suicide due to mounting financial loans, collects dried-up cotton plants at their farmland in Mochi Pimpalgaon village of Beed district in India's Maharashtra state. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE/AFP) BEED - On a small farm in India's Maharashtra state, Mirabai Khindkar said the only thing her land grew was debt, after crops failed in drought and her husband killed himself. Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure. In this photograph taken on May 4, 2025, people walk across the dried-up Godavari river in Beed district in India's Maharashtra state. Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure. (Photo by Indranil MUKHERJEE/AFP) Dwindling yields due to water shortages, floods, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, coupled with crippling debt, have taken a heavy toll on a sector that employs 45 percent of India's 1.4 billion people. Mirabhai's husband Amol was left with debts to loan sharks worth hundreds of times their farm's annual income, after the three-acre (one-hectare) soybean, millet and cotton plot withered in scorching heat. He swallowed poison last year. "When he was in the hospital, I prayed to all the gods to save him," said 30-year-old Mirabai, her voice breaking. Amol died a week later, leaving behind Mirabai and three children. Her last conversation with him was about debt. Their personal tragedy is replicated daily across Marathwada, a region in Maharashtra of 18 million, once known for fertile farmland. Last year, extreme weather events across India affected 3.2 million hectares (7.9 million acres) of cropland -- an area bigger than Belgium -- according to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment research group. Over 60 percent of that was in Maharashtra. "Summers are extreme, and even if we do what is necessary, the yield is not enough," said Amol's brother and fellow farmer Balaji Khindkar. "There is not enough water to irrigate the fields. It doesn't rain properly." 'Increase the risks' Between 2022 and 2024, 3,090 farmers took their own lives in Marathwada, an average of nearly three a day, according to India's Minister of Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan. Government statistics do not specify what drove the farmers to kill themselves, but analysts point to several likely factors. "Farmer suicides in India are a consequence of the crisis of incomes, investment and productivity that you have in agriculture," said R. Ramakumar, professor of development studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Farming across many Indian smallholdings is done largely as it has been for centuries, and is highly dependent on the right weather at the correct time. "What climate change and its vulnerabilities and variabilities have done is to increase the risks in farming," Ramakumar said. This "is leading to crop failures, uncertainties... which is further weakening the economics of cultivation for small and marginal farmers." The government could support farmers with better insurance schemes to cope with extreme weather events, as well as investments in agricultural research, Ramakumar said. "Agriculture should not be a gamble with the monsoon." 'Make ends meet' Faced with uncertain weather, farmers often look to stem falling yields by investing in fertilisers or irrigation systems. But banks can be reluctant to offer credit to such uncertain borrowers. Some turn to loan sharks offering quick cash at exorbitant interest rates, and risking catastrophe if crops fail. "It is difficult to make ends meet with just farming," Mirabai said, standing outside her home, a tin-roofed hut with patch-cloth walls. Her husband's loans soared to over US$8,000, a huge sum in India, where the average monthly income of a farming household is around $120. Mirabai works on other farms as a labourer but could not pay back the debt. "The loan instalments piled up," she said, adding that she wants her children to find jobs outside of farming when they grow up. "Nothing comes out of the farm." The agricultural industry has been in a persistent crisis for decades. And while Maharashtra has some of the highest suicide rates, the problem is nationwide. Thirty people in the farming sector killed themselves every day in 2022, according to national crime records bureau statistics. At another farm in Marathwada, 32-year-old farmer Shaikh Imran took over the running of the family smallholding last year after his brother took his own life. He is already more than $1,100 in debt after borrowing to plant soybean. The crop failed. Meanwhile, the pop of explosives echoes around as farmers blast wells, hoping to hit water. "There's no water to drink," said family matriarch Khatijabi. "Where shall we get water to irrigate the farm?" - AFP More Like This
