Rainfall deficiency 12.5% but some areas go under water

Monsoon appears to be slowing down after recording above normal rains between July 6 and July 11.

Some northern Indian states could receive rainfall during the next 4-5 days, but monsoon activity could be subdued in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra’s interiors, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the next 3-4 days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

After recording above normal rains between July 6 and July 11, monsoon appears to be slowing down, sparking concerns in the agriculture sector, according to experts. (AFP)

After recording above normal rains between July 6 and July 11, monsoon appears to be slowing down, sparking concerns in the agriculture sector, according to experts. Overall rainfall deficiency in the country till Sunday was 12.5% over the long period average, an improvement from June’s 33% — the highest deficiency in June in four years. The sluggish monsoon has impacted the sowing of summer cops.

But northeastern India, where floods have caused widespread damage, several places in West Bengal near the Himalayas and Sikkim are expected to receive heavy rainfall over the next two-three days, the weather department said in its bulletin. Rainfall is likely over Uttarakhand and northern parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and northern Punjab and Haryana, and Chandigarh during the next 4-5 days, it said.

“Overall, deficient rains will continue for at least a week...But we are expecting heavy to very heavy rains in sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, parts of Bihar and northern districts of Uttar Pradesh. Many of these areas are already flooded; there are chances of more flooding,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of climate change and meteorology at private forecaster Skymet Weather.

RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at National Weather Forecasting Centre (NWFC), said, “We are expecting rains in northeastern states and other foothills [areas] to reduce from July 17. Rains will gradually increase in Punjab and Haryana, but it will take time for rains to resume in central India.”

IMD director general M Mohapatra said the rains will now gradually shift to peninsular and central India.

Apart from the delay in monsoon onset and a large deficiency of June rains, skewed distribution of rainfall has emerged as another cause for concern in the agriculture sector, experts said.

“There was large deficiency in the eastern states, but when it rained last week it was so heavy that in many parts the paddy crop was washed out. This year the distribution is bad,” said Skymet’s Palawat.