Central Delhi India’s 2nd most rain deficient distt
NEW DELHI: Central Delhi has received only 8.5mm of rain since June 1 this year, making it the driest place in the national capital so far this season and the second-most rain-deficient district in the country, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed. Met officials, however, said that this is not unusual since the monsoon is yet to arrive in the national capital.
Central Delhi comprises areas like Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, Paharganj, Karol Bagh, and Pragati Maidan, and has received less than 15% of its normal rainfall of 55.2 mm since June 1 – a deficiency of nearly 85%. The region falls in the “large deficient” zone. Of the nine districts in Delhi, four are in the “large deficient” and “deficient” categories while only one is in the “normal” category.
With a shortfall of 93%, Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar is the country’s most raindeficient district, showed Met department data, and recorded just 5mm of rain till Monday, against the normal of 68.4mm.
Besides Central Delhi, East Delhi, North-east Delhi and South Delhi also fall in the “large deficient” category. While East Delhi has received 19.2mm rainfall against the normal of 55.2mm – a shortfall of 65%, North-east Delhi has recorded 20.7mm rainfall, 63% below normal. Meanwhile, South Delhi got 22.2mm — nearly 60% less than normal.
South-west Delhi and New Delhi have recorded 29.6mm and 27.7mm rainfall so far – nearly 52% below their respective normal rainfall. North Delhi has received 37.7mm rainfall — 34% less than normal – while North-west Delhi got 29.8 mm rainfall — 30% below the average precipitation. Only West Delhi has received normal rainfall so far — 53.5mm against the average of 55.5mm.
IMD officials did not share district-wise data of rainfall in Delhi last year.
The weather office uses separate categories such as “large excess”, “excess”, “normal”, “deficient”, “large deficient” rainfall to describe realised rainfall averaged over various time periods — daily, weekly, monthly — for districts and states. As per the IMD classification, when the realised rainfall is -99% to -60% of long-period average (LPA), the rainfall is categorized as large deficient. LPA of rainfall is the rainfall recorded over a particular region for a given interval (like month or season) average
SOUTH-WEST DELHI AND NEW DELHI HAVE RECORDED 29.6MM AND 27.7MM RAINFALL SO FAR – NEARLY 52% BELOW THEIR RESPECTIVE NORMAL RAINFALL
over a long period of years.
Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said that since the monsoon is yet to hit the city, such a deficit is not unusual. “Generally during June, thunderstorm activity takes place, which contributes to rain. So far, Delhi has not seen much rain this time. The city mostly witnesses rain during the last week of June but we have not seen significant weather activity so far,” said Srivastava.
He said that Delhi’s weather is likely to be dry over the next four-five days. “We will have to wait till the first week of July [for monsoon],” Srivastava said.