THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Barring a few districts, the performance of the south-west monsoon has been dismal across the state with Wayanad and Idukki recording the worst rainfall this season. While Wayanad, the hub of coffee and spices cultivation in the state, recorded a deficit of around 64 per cent, Idukki, where the state’s major hydel power projects are located, received 39 per cent less rainfall till Thursday.
The state as a whole registered a rainfall deficit of 25 per cent. Against a normal rainfall of 99 cm, the state received only 73.8 cm of rainfall from June 1 to July 13. Kollam and Ernakulam topped the rain charts recording a rainfall deficit of five per cent and seven per cent respectively. “The current rainfall pattern is expected to continue for the remaining days of the week. While southern districts will receive scattered early morning showers, central and northern districts would receive 2-3 cm of rain over the next four-five days,” S Sudevan, director, Meteorological Centre, Thiruvananthapuram said.
Even though monsoon rainfall has favoured the agriculture sector in most districts barring Wayanad, the situation is not at all rosy for power generation through hydro-electric projects.
Even nearly a month-and-a-half since the monsoon onset, the total hydroelectric storage as stood at 884.5 million units which is only 21 per cent of the total capacity.
According to weatherman, formation of low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal or cyclonic activity in the West Pacific are crucial for good monsoon rainfall. At present, such conditions do not exist and hence the scanty rain.
RAIN SITUATION
LARGE DEFICIENT
Wayanad
DEFICIENT
Kannur, Idukki, Malappuram, Palakkad & Thiruvananthapuram
NORMAL
Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Kollam, Kasargod, Kottayam,
Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta
& Thrissur