Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Meghalaya finished August with a massive 38 percent rainfall deficit. The state saw only 359.7 mm of rain against the usual 581.6 mm. The India Meteorological Department confirmed the numbers. The situation grew dire fast.
Sohra and Mawsynram are typically the wettest spots on the planet. They saw a 42 percent drop in East Khasi Hills. Eight out of 11 districts reported low rainfall totals. Weather officials noted the shift. "The rainfall situation worsened sharply in August," the department stated.
West Jaintia Hills took the hardest hit with a 75 percent deficit. West Garo Hills trailed close behind at 72 percent. West Khasi Hills and North Garo Hills followed with 60 and 58 percent drops respectively. East Garo Hills and Ri Bhoi both recorded 22 percent less than normal. East Jaintia Hills measured a 24 percent shortfall.
South Garo Hills stayed near normal with only a 9 percent deficit. Only South West Khasi Hills defied the trend. It recorded a 155 percent large excess of rain. Data for South West Garo Hills was unavailable.
This August slump follows a shaky summer. Meghalaya previously logged a 9 percent shortfall in July. June rainfall remained near normal. July saw North Garo Hills hit a 22 percent deficit while South West Garo Hills stayed normal. Now, almost the whole state is dry.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 10:00am
While weather woes mount, a separate crisis burns in the courts. The Meghalaya High Court recently exposed a 56.7 percent hole in the state's 2019 coal inventory, with 18.46 lakh tonnes missing from official records. Despite years of directives, not one of the state's 22,000 abandoned mine pits has been permanently sealed or fenced. The court noted that 428 crore rupees in environmental restoration funds remain idle while illegal mine activity continues to claim lives, including a methane fire in February that killed 34 people.
Accountability remains a ghost. Five illegal coke ovens still operate in East Jaintia Hills, and officials have yet to adopt a policy to hold specific district officers personally liable for illegal mining under their watch. Investigators also revealed that Star Cement bypassed safety protocols by bringing over 8,000 truckloads of coal into the state without valid documentation. The court has demanded a detailed plan of action by September 21, warning that past compliance efforts have been nothing more than knee-jerk reactions.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 5:49pm
Beyond the weather and coal courtroom battles, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma claims a push to fix the state education system is gaining ground. Sangma stated that his Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund pumped between 150 and 180 crore rupees into education over the last eight years. He acknowledged the initial 2018 estimate of 3,000 crore rupees to transform schools was beyond the state budget, opting instead to start with ten schools and eventually upgrading infrastructure in over 2,000 elementary government facilities.
State indicators show some movement. Meghalaya climbed from the lowest Performance Grading Index grade, Akanshi-3, to Akanshi-1 in one year, gaining 77.7 points. The state also launched the Meghalaya School Performance Grading Index, a system evaluating 11,443 schools across 12 districts. While East Khasi Hills dominated the top 100 performers, West Garo Hills led the Garo Hills region with nine schools in the top tier.
Sangma ordered officials to ramp up school inspections, requiring teams to visit classrooms every week or fortnight. Inspectors must document issues like roof leaks and water access in a digital log accessible to senior leadership. "No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers, however much money we spend on buildings, however many schemes we launch," Sangma said, urging teachers to focus on shaping youth rather than just completing routines.
Updated at 2nd September 2026 at 9:46pm
Sangma clarified the financial scope of the education overhaul, noting that the Education Department poured an additional 600 to 700 crore rupees into the sector, separate from his special development fund. Beyond the infrastructure gains, the state reported an SSLC pass rate of 97.2 percent and an HSSLC rate of 86.6 percent. The transition rate from Class X to Class XI hit 82.1 percent, beating the national average, while school dropout rates dipped.
The push for academic accountability now extends to the Meghalaya School Performance Grading Index. The system tracks 43 indicators across five domains. Ri Bhoi emerged as a strong performer, securing 16 of the top 100 schools statewide. While the government tracks these metrics, it also continues to target individual schools for specific improvement, such as upgrading furniture and fixing roof leaks, based on the findings of regular site inspections.
Away from the classroom, the Chief Minister launched a land rights push in Tura. Officials handed out 21 land pattas to residents of Ronggi Songgital, a move designed to replace informal occupancy with legal ownership. The certificates allow families to secure bank loans and access state welfare schemes. Sangma promised to expand this settlement project to the remaining four localities in Tura, asserting that the government will move forward only with local consent.
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