Hyderabad/New Delhi A combination of western disturbances and monsoon westerlies has brought heavy rainfall over northern India in the past week, turning the region rain-surplus for this time of the year, but 12 central, southern and northeastern states such as Telangana, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar and Jharkhand are still going through a deficient monsoon.
The IMD (India Meteorological Department) rainfall data for the monsoon starting from June 1 shows that all the southern states except Tamil Nadu have received less than expected rainfall this season. Heavy rains in the South in the first week of July was restricted to the coastal regions of Kerala and Karnataka, with the mainland not receiving substantial rainfall; so much so that sowing of crops in Telangana, Andhra, Karnataka and parts of Kerala has been delayed. The Karnataka and Telangana governments have spoken of a possible monsoon drought.
According to a Telangana State Development and Planning Society (TSDPS) bulletin on Tuesday, cumulative rainfall in the state, starting from June 1, when the monsoon season is considered to have commenced, till July 11 was 150.4mm, as against normal rainfall of 197.5mm, with a deviation of -24%. During this period last year, the state had witnessed heavy rainfall – recording 395.6mm.
“Compared to the previous year, Telangana has witnessed a rainfall deficit of -65%,” the bulletin said, adding that the monsoon started from June 24 and has been erratic. Except Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Siddipet and Narayanpet, which recorded slightly above normal rainfall so far, all the remaining 29 districts received deficit rainfall – ranging from -5% (in Jangaon district) to -51% (in Khammam district).
In Karnataka, officials said most of the major dams such as the Krishnarajasagar (KRS) dam, the vital water source for Bengaluru and supplier of Cauvery water for drinking purposes, is almost running dry with water level below 30 feet as compared to a maximum of 124.8 feet. Comparatively, last year, the water level stood at 106.5 feet.
Similarly, the Tungabhadra dam, which caters to the Hyderabad and Karnataka regions, is currently holding only 4.1TMC of water, a significant decrease from last year’s 43.9TMC. The catchment areas responsible for replenishing rivers such as the Cauvery and the Tungabhadra in Karnataka have received less than one-third of normal rainfall during the first 35 days of the monsoon season, according to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Cell.
“Almost all zones are experiencing cloudy conditions but have not received an average of more than 12cm of rainfall. This has put reservoirs under tremendous stress and could impact power generation and supply of potable water if the situation does not change,” said a senior government official, expressing concern.
In many regions of Kerala, which is facing a rain deficit of 31%, rainfall has been inadequate. “Except for parts of northern Kerala, most other regions have received very less rainfall,” said a Kerala disaster management department official. He added that rainfall in 9 of 14 districts was in a large deficit. Andhra Pradesh is better placed than other southern states, with just a 19% deficit.
The IMD said the monsoon in southern India has been weak since the beginning primarily because of the impact of cyclone Biparjoy.
“North received heavy rains because of a western disturbance and monsoon wind combination. That has moved east and will bring rain to Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in the coming days. We expect the rains to resume in southern India in some days with a depression building in the Bay of Bengal,” said IMD scientist Jenamani.
Also in deficit are the eastern states of Bihar (-33%), Jharkhand (-43%) and Odisha (-26%), though West Bengal has received substantial amount of rain. All northeastern states except Assam are rain deficient though the average rainfall these states have received is higher than the average for the country. The average rainfall for any northeastern state is almost double of the average for mainland Indian states. For instance, Arunachal Pradesh has received 484mm of rain this monsoon season, which is 28% less than normal, whereas Rajasthan with just 249mm of rain is in 155% excess.
(With inputs from state bureaus)
