Shortfall in SW monsoon

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 7. There has been a shortfall of eight per cent in rainfall during the just concluded south-west monsoon, according to the Indian Meteorological Department, the apex weather forecasting agency of the country.

In an end-of-the season report, the IMD has reported that the total cumulative rainfall for the country as a whole has come to 92 per cent of the long period average for the season, which is reckoned as 88 cm.

The report released here on Friday has also revealed that nearly one-third of the country has recorded deficient rainfall during the four month season - 34 per cent in terms of nuumber of districts and 30 per cent in terms of the country's total geographical area has received deficit rain.

The worst hit areas, according to the report, are: Saurashtra and Kutch, east and west Madhya Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat region, and east and west Rajasthan.

The maximum deficiency was in Saurashtra-Kutch (minus 44 per cent), followed by west Madhya Pradesh (minus 35 per cent), Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Gujarat (minus 31 per cent), east Rajasthan (minus 30 per cent), east Madhya Pradesh (minus 28 per cent) and west Rajasthan (minus 22 per cent).

Of them, Saurashtra-Kutch, Gujarat region, east and west Madhya Pradesh and east Rajasthan fell under the category of ``meteorological drought'', which is defined as a large-scale deficiency of more than 25 per cent, the report added.

The report, however, declared the season as ``normal'', making it the 12th successive normal monsoon year, on the ground that as per IMD definitions, a season was considered normal if the total rainfall for the country as a whole was within plus or minus 10 per cent of the long period average.

The IMD also claimed that the actual rainfall had been only ``marginally on the lower side'' of its prediction.

The forecast, which was made on May 25, just before the onset of the season, was that the country was likely to receive a rainfall of 99 per cent plus or minus four per cent.

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Section  : National
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