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New Delhi, Aug 22: The south-west monsoon has entered a weak phase with two successive weeks of subdued rainfall.
Area coverage under all kharif (summer) crops, with the exception of cotton, sugarcane, jute, sesamum and castor, is lagging behind due to erratic rainfall.
This year sowing was delayed due to dry spell in June, the first month of the monsoon season. Monsoon revived on June 27 and there was good rainfall in July. The two months, July and August, are crucial for agriculture. Good rains in July saw a spurt in farming activity, but the return of dry spell in the first two weeks of August again belied the hopes of farmers.
Immediate revival of the monsoon is no where in sight as the official weather forecasting agency, India Meteorological Department (IMD), has indicated that “weak monsoon conditions are likely to prevail in the second half of the ensuing week.”
In the week ending August 10, the average cumulative rainfall over the country was deficient by 25%. In the subsequent week ending August 17, the rainfall deficiency increased to 46%.
After August 3, the rain gods have changed their course. Till August 3, almost the entire country, with the exception of Bihar, Jharkhand and northeastern states, received good rainfall. After August 3, the rain gods are now busy watering Bihar, hilly parts of West Bengal and northeastern states, at the expense of other regions of the country. However, Jharkhand still remains unfortunate with scanty rainfall in past two weeks.
In the week ending August 10, as many as 20 out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions received scanty to deficient rains. The lucky 16 meteorological sub-divisions which received goods rains were : Punjab, Haryana & Delhi, eastern Gujarat, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, north interior Karnataka, coastal Karnataka, south interior Karnataka, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and the entire north-eastern region.
In the the week ending August 17, when the rainfall deficiency became more acute, as many as 28 out of 36 meteorological sub-divisions received scanty to deficient rains. They lucky eight which received good rains were: Bihar, Assam & Meghalaya, sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, north interior Karnataka, Telangana, south interior Karnataka, Ralayaseema and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
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