Punjab, Haryana receive surplus rains as monsoon picks up pace

16 districts in Haryana and 17 in Punjab received above-normal rains between June 1 and July 22. Six districts in each of the two states logged deficient rainfall

Chandigarh: Most of Haryana and Punjab, the grain bowl of India, received surplus rains between June 1 and July 22 as monsoon activity in the two states picked up pace in the last few weeks.

Most of Haryana and Punjab, the grain bowl of India, received surplus rains between June 1 and July 22 as monsoon activity in the two states picked up pace in the last few weeks.

The monsoon accounts for around 70% of the country’s annual rainfall and irrigates 60% of its net sown area. Nearly half of India’s population depends on agriculture directly or indirectly.

According to the meteorological department, most of the districts in the two states have received above-normal rains between June 1, when the monsoon season starts, and July 22.

“During this period, Punjab received 208.6mm of rain, which is 24% more than the normal of 168.3mm. Haryana received 17% excess rainfall of 188.7mm against a normal of 161.3mm,” a meteorological department official told PTI.

He said 16 districts in Haryana and 17 in Punjab received above-normal rains between June 1 and July 22. Six districts in each of the two states logged deficient rainfall during this period.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, received 487.1mm of rains in this period as against a normal of 344 mm, a surplus of 42%.

Prof ML Khichar, the head of the agricultural meteorology department at Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, said: “We are expecting good rainfall in most parts of Haryana towards July-end.””The current spell of monsoon rains will be beneficial for kharif crops, including paddy, cotton and bajra,” he said, adding it will also bring down the demand for fuel and power in the agriculture sector.

Giving details of the rainfall distribution in Haryana, the meteorological department official said, Kaithal received 290.8mm of rain, which is a staggering 104% above normal, while Fatehabad received 207.5mm of rain, which was 99% surplus. However, the rainfall was 24% and 39% deficient in Yamunanagar and Gurugram, respectively.

In Punjab, Ferozepur gauged 238.9mm of rain, which is 139% above the normal of 100.6mm while Faridkot received 94% above-normal shower.

Moga, however, was among the districts to receive deficient rains. It received 56.5mm as against a normal 109.3mm, leaving a deficit of 48%.