With heavy rainfall occurring across most of the dry regions in northern, western and eastern India during the past one week, the monsoon deficiency this year has come down to – 8% on Wednesday from – 22% just a month back.
After the onset of south-western monsoon in June, the rainfall was sluggish initially. It intensified only during the later part of July, leading to a decline in the severity of drought-like conditions prevailing across the country.
India had faced widespread drought in 2009 when monsoon rains were 22% below average.
The recent rains, according to an agricultural ministry official, in hugely deficit regions of north Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kutch, Punjab, Haryana and Karnataka is not only expected to boost ongoing Kharif sowing, but also help in transplantation of early rabi or winter crops.
The rain in September, also helped retain soil moisture for the forthcoming winter or rabi crops.
“The southwest monsoon had been vigorous over the Gujarat region, Konkan and Goa, and active over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Saurashtra & Kutch, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Vidarbha and Telangana during past 24 hours,” India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The recent rains also imply that 71% of the country has got normal or excess rains till now while rest of the areas had received deficient rains. The country as a whole has received an average 724 mili-meters (mm) of rains till Wednesday against normal rainfall of 788 mm.
Regions such as Saurashtra, Kutch and north Gujarat got scantly rainfall during the progress of south-western monsoon till the recent rainfall.
The heavy rains have reduced the deficiency for north Gujarat to – 28 % and for Saurashtra and Kutch to – 42% from a huge – 85 % a forth-night back.
The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought on Tuesday had decided to provide an additional 50 days of guaranteed work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) to registered households and cut the interest rate on crop loan to 7% (from 10 to 12%) for one year in the ‘notified’ drought-affected talukas of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
After the deficiency in rainfall during June-July, IMD in August had predicted that rainfall distribution during entire season is likely to be 90% of Long Period Average (LPA).
In July, IMD had marginally downgraded south-western monsoon forecast to 96% of the LPA from its April prediction of 99% of LPA. LPA is calculated on the basis of average annual rainfall received.