The monsoon season officially ends on Friday, and with 97 per cent rainfall, it can be classified as a “normal” monsoon.
The monsoon, which comes after two years of drought, was a very erratic one – both geographically and time wise – as The Indian Express reported.
Monsoon rainfall is always inconsistent as some regions receive a bounty while others areas are sparsely covered.
Alternating spells of rain and dry spells can also plague a single area, as Madhya Pradesh faced flooding in August but saw very little rain in the past month. The flood-hit areas of Andhra and Telengana had been dry since the end of July.
The 97 per cent rainfall received has been far less than the 106 percent forecast by the Indian Meteorological Department in April. However, most regions have received ample rain ahead of the sowing season.
The deficit seen from the latter half of August was, therefore, not one that had severe implications. Agriculture Ministry data shows that the area under kharif cultivation has gone up by 8 lakh hectares since last year to 1,060.81 lakh hectares.
We must look at two things while assessing whether a monsoon has been good or bad. First, whether sowing of crops has been normal, and second, the situation of storage in our reservoirs. On both these fronts, we are in a very comfortable position this year.IMD Director General K J Ramesh
The deficient rainfall is being attributed to the lack of La Nina in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that helps the advent of the Indian monsoon.
La Nina is kind of the opposite of El Nino and refers to the cooling down of the ocean’s surface temperatures. El Nino was what caused droughts and lack of rainfall in the last two years.
The 91 major reservoirs of the country have received a huge boost and are full to about 74 per cent of their capacity.
Their levels are slightly less than what is expected at this time of year but still much better than last year.
Source: The Indian Express
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)