Recent rain has little impact on national monsoon deficit
Recent rains have brought relief to Delhi, Haryana, and eastern Rajasthan, yet the national monsoon deficit persists. States like Bihar and Punjab continue to struggle with below-average rainfall. While the sowing of Kharif crops is nearly finalized across the nation, August's rainfall may enhance water reservoirs for hydropower and upcoming planting seasons, with a low-pressure area potentially…
Delhi, Haryana and eastern Rajasthan experienced good rainfall over the past week, which helped mitigate the rainfall deficit in those regions. However, the overall country-wide monsoon deficit remained largely unchanged. India's cumulative rainfall shortfall decreased by only one percentage point, from 12% on August 2nd to 11% on August 9th.
Many agrarian states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh, continued to face deficient rainfall. As of August 9th, nearly 88% of the country's sown area had completed sowing of Kharif crops. The acreage deficit was reduced by just 1%, with paddy acreage still 4% lower than last year's same period.
The rains in August will improve water storage in reservoirs, providing a boost to hydro-power generation and a safety net for the upcoming sowing season. As of August 9th, 12 states reported rainfall deficits of 20% or more. The Meteorological Department predicted an increase in rainfall activity in Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar from August 13 onwards, potentially aiding the sowing of paddy and maize in Bihar and Jharkhand.
However, all regions except central India reported a cumulative monsoon rainfall deficit despite normal rains in July and the early days of August. East and northeast India experienced the highest rainfall deficit at 25%, followed by 17% in south peninsular India and 11% in northwest India.
Written by urgent.news from Times of India's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
