New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- India's cumulative monsoon rainfall remained 13 per cent below normal between June 1 and August 26, with 14 states and Union Territories recording deficient rainfall, according to the latest data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The country received 577.8 mm of rain during the period against the normal 664.7 mm. The regional distribution showed the sharpest shortfalls in east and northeast India and the southern peninsula. East and northeast India received 759.6 mm against the normal 1,037.1 mm, a deficit of 27 per cent. The southern peninsula recorded 412.5 mm against 529.4 mm, leaving a 22 per cent shortfall.
Meghalaya recorded the largest state-level deficit at 58 per cent below normal, followed by Manipur at 43 per cent, Bihar at 42 per cent, Arunachal Pradesh at 40 per cent and Andhra Pradesh at 39 per cent.
Punjab recorded a 34 per cent deficit, while Goa and Puducherry were each 33 per cent below normal. Assam had a 25 per cent shortfall, followed by Lakshadweep at 24 per cent, Mizoram and Karnataka at 22 per cent each, Rajasthan at 21 per cent and Kerala at 20 per cent. The 14 deficient states and UTs were Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Bihar, Punjab, Rajasthan, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep.
District-level data for June 1 to August 25 showed considerable variation within states. Of the districts covered, 287 recorded normal rainfall, 80 received excess rainfall and 19 received large excess rainfall. Another seven districts were listed under the no-data category. At the same time, 310 districts were classified as deficient and 38 as large deficient.
Bihar had 32 deficient and three large-deficient districts among 38 listed. Assam had 18 deficient and one large-deficient district, while Meghalaya had three deficient and seven large-deficient districts. Andhra Pradesh recorded 24 deficient and one large-deficient district. Karnataka had 18 deficient and two large-deficient districts, while Kerala had six deficient districts.
Uttar Pradesh, with 75 districts in the IMD table, had 28 deficient and eight large-deficient districts. Rajasthan had 19 deficient districts, while Punjab recorded 14 deficient and four large-deficient districts.
Despite the wider shortfall, some states received substantially more rain than normal. Odisha recorded 1,098 mm against a normal 856.7 mm, an excess of 28 per cent. Madhya Pradesh received 666.3 mm against 734.7 mm and remained in the normal category. Uttar Pradesh recorded an 11 per cent deficit with 501 mm against 564.3 mm, while Delhi received 498.7 mm against 415.8 mm, an excess of 20 per cent.
The IMD forecast subdued rainfall activity over Peninsular India in the following week. Fairly widespread to widespread rain was also expected at different periods over parts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, eastern India and northeast India through the end of August.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.