Monsoon rainfall records a deficit of 15% in Punjab

Situation likely to improve as more rains expected till monthend

: Punjab has witnessed 15% deficit monsoon rainfall between June 1 and August 31 this year, according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Chandigarh.

The state received 344.4mm of rainfall in this period as against the normal of 404mm. Last year, the state received 386.3mm of rainfall against the normal of 491.9mm, a deficit of 21%. The state recorded worst deficit rainfall of 67% in 1987.

The districts with highly deficient rainfall in Punjab include Ferozepur 74%, Mansa 59%, Amritsar 45%, Bathinda and Kapurthala 40% each and Jalandhar 36%. While Ferozepur district (IMD has also included Fazilka in Ferozepur) received 73.9mm rainfall against the normal of 287.6mm, Mansa witnessed 108mm of rainfall against 264, Amritsar 250.8mm against 448.6mm, Kapurthala 206.3mm against 339.9mm, Bathinda 155.9mm against 258.5mm, Moga 228.3mm against 290.2mm and Muktsar 199.4mm against 251.7mm.

In contrast, Barnala and Rupnagar districts have recorded excess rainfall (20% more than normal). Ten districts of the state, including Faridkot, Tran Taran, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Patiala, Mohali, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr and Fatehgarh sahib witnessed normal rainfall.

IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said though the state has received 15% deficit rainfall till August, it is likely to recover by the September-end. “The deficit has gone up as the monsoon remained weak in the last week of August in Punjab.”

On the badly hit district of Ferozepur, which has been receiving deficit monsoon rain for the past three years, and Mansa, Paul said: “Some variations are bound to come up, but the overall figures are still within the normal range.

The difference will come down in these districts by the monthend. Rain is likely in the state in the next two or three days.

IMD Chandigarh scientist Shivinder Singh said eight districts in Punjab have a rain deficit between 20% and 59%, and the overall deficit is still not cause for alarm. “Monsoon is expected to be normal in September. Although it is too soon to determine when the withdrawal period will start but it should be sometime around the middle of the month,” he said.