Deficient Monsoon Hits 4 NE States, Meghalaya Records 51% Rainfall Dip

 Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The monsoon season this year was unfavourable to four of the Northeastern states, providing less rainfall than normal until Wednesday (July 9). The worst affected state is Meghalaya, which received 51% less than normal rainfall in the period from June 1 to July 9. Earlier, the IMD had made a long-range forecast that the monsoon rainfall will be below normal in the NE region this year.

According to the IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre at Guwahati, the four states of Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal, and Manipur received less than normal rainfall in the period from June 1 to July 9. However, the three NE states of Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura have recorded almost normal rainfall so far.

A report from the Guwahati RMC stated that Meghalaya received 499 mm of rainfall in the period from June 1 to July 9, against the normal of 1015.1 mm, which is less than the normal by 51%. The second-worst affected state is Arunachal Pradesh, which received 374.7 mm of rainfall against the normal of 615.2 mm at this time of the year, leading to a deficit of 39%.

As for Assam, the state recorded 369.9 mm of rainfall from June 1 to July 9, against the normal rainfall of 548.8 mm in this period, which works out to 33% less rainfall. This is the season in Assam when the farmers plant the rice saplings in their fields. Due to a shortage of water, many farmers have not been able to plant the saplings on time. Most of Assam’s farmers depend on the rain god for their agricultural activities, and the present shortfall in rain has left them looking up at the heavens for deliverance.

The NE state of Manipur has fared somewhat better in terms of rainfall in the present monsoon season, receiving 10% less than normal rains. The state recorded 336.9 mm of rainfall, against a normal rainfall of 374.7 mm during the same period of time.

On the flip side, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura recorded more than normal rainfall so far in this monsoon season. Mizoram received 11%, Nagaland 8% and Tripura 4% more than normal rainfall.

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