NEW DELHI: The Met office’s claims of normal, above-normal, and even excess rainfall during the first half of this monsoon may look promising on paper, but it hardly reflects the ground reality. One-third of the country’s districts, including key agricultural states, are experiencing significant rainfall deficits, which may impact food production.
As the monsoon reaches its midpoint, the country has received patchy, uneven rainfall thus far. Approximately one-third (about 31%) of districts have reported deficient rainfall, particularly in important agrarian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh.
Overall, the country recorded 474.3 mm of rainfall in the first half of monsoon, 6.4% higher than the normal of 445.8 mm. However, rainfall distribution has been somewhat uneven. The states on the Himalayan foothills, stretching from Uttarakhand to the Northeast, have mostly remained dry. Data indicates that the eastern and northeastern states experienced approximately 23% deficient rainfall, while the southern peninsula faced suppressed monsoonal activity.
State-wise analysis shows that UP reported deficient to significantly-deficient monsoon conditions across 34 districts, followed by Bihar (27), Assam (27), Tamil Nadu (22), Andhra Pradesh (15), Telangana (12), and Punjab and Haryana (10). Punjab, Haryana, and UP are particularly important in terms of food grain production.
Currently, 24% of the 728 districts across the country have recorded deficient monsoon rainfall, defined as a reduction of 20% to 59% below the long-term average, while 7% districts are experiencing large-deficient rainfall, classified as a reduction of 60% to 99%.
In July, while above-normal rainfall was observed, there has been a consistent decline in rainfall over the years. This July, India received 294.3 mm rainfall against a seasonal normal of 280.5 mm.