Delayed rains bring deficit down to 10%

The monsoon has picked up at a time when it usually starts winding down, bridging the rainfall deficit by more than half from a crippling 22% shortfall in July to 10% deficiency in September.

The monsoon has picked up at a time when it usually starts winding down, bridging the rainfall deficit by more than half from a crippling 22% shortfall in July to 10% deficiency in September.

HT Image

Between August 30 and September 5, it has rained 31% excess. The late spells, according to the Indian Institute of Agriculture Research, will secure farms and leave soil conditions favourable for winter crops. It will also replenish the 84 nationally-monitored water reservoirs vital for drinking, irrigation and power.

The sharp pick-up in rainfall has triggered floods in parts of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Manipur and Rajasthan. The Met department on Thursday predicted more showers in Gujarat, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal.