After a lull in rainfall for the first half of the monsoon season, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts that the south-west monsoon would be below normal in August and September.
Till August 2, rainfall in the country has been 20 per cent deficient since the onset of the monsoon in June.
“Rainfall in the country would be deficient in the second half of the monsoon too,” IMD Director General L S Rathore said.
According to the IMD, 51 per cent of the country has got deficient rainfall, 37 per cent experienced normal rainfall and 12 per cent received scanty rains.
IMD officials said that it would be incorrect to say that the country as a whole is hit by drought, but drought-like conditions were prevailing in Punjab, Haryana, Saurashtra region of Gujarat, Rajasthan.
In Karnataka, the condition is worse, as the rainfall received is 200.9 mm, while the normal rainfall level is 371.3 mm, taking the rainfall deficiency level to 46 per cent. Kerala has received 808.5 mm of rainfall during this monsoon, as supposed to normal rainfall of 1,414.8 mm. There is 46 per cent rain deficiency in Kerala.