After more than two months into the monsoon season, the seasonal rainfall has remained short of the normal quantum this year in Punjab and Haryana, the two leading agrarian states of the country.
Chandigarh, which is the joint capital of the two states, has also witnessed scanty rainfall this monsoon season.
According to the Chandigarh Meteorological Department, the monsoon rain deficit for Haryana is 35 percent. In Punjab, the monsoon rainfall deficit is 17 percent while in Chandigarh, the deficit is 34 percent till August 12.
The situation is worrisome in Haryana, with few districts recording upto 70 percent rain deficit.
Haryana has received 176.7 mm rains against the normal monsoon rainfall of 270.4 mm till now (June –August 12). The districts namely Panchkula, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Rohtak and Panipat have recorded more than 50 percent rain deficit.
The Meteorological Department’s data shows rainfall deficiency of minus 70 (percent) in Panchkula, minus 68 in Rohtak, minus 58 in Fatehabad, minus 51 in Panipat and minus 50 in Kaithal. Panchkula has received 174.4 mm rainfall against the normal of 577.9 mm during this period.
Except Sirsa and Karnal districts, 19 districts of the state have received scanty rainfall till August 12. The rain deficit ranges from 11 to 70 percent.
The situation in neighboring Punjab is better with rainfall deficit remaining below 49 percent in its various districts. The state has received 251.8 mm rains against the normal 302.8 till August 12, recording a deficit of 17 percent.
Among various districts, Jalandhar has recorded highest rain deficit of 49 percent followed by Hoshiarpur at 48 percent and Barnala at 41 percent.However, Punjab’s Kapurthala district has recorded rain surplus of 112 percent followed by Muktsar at 88 percent and Bhatinda at 46 percent. Kapurthala has received 478 mm rainfall against normal quantum of 225.9 mm during this period.The union territory of Chandigarh has received 366.2 mm rainfall against the normal rainfall of 554.8 mm during this period, recording a deficit of 34 percent.
While the vital June-August monsoon rainfall has remained short of the normal quantum, the Met Department has forecast that the rainfall over the rest of the monsoon season would be normal.
“The high rainfall deficit is expected to narrow down in parts of Punjab and Haryana in the next half of the monsoon season,” said Surender Pal, Director Meteorological Department while talking to The Pioneer.“Overall, the rainfall is likely to be normal in the region during this monsoon,” he said.
Every year, the monsoon season begins with the onset of rains in June and ends in September. This year, the monsoon had reached Punjab, Haryana and their joint capital Chandigarh on July 2.
Notably, as per the analysis of Meteorological Department here, the monsoon rainfall has declined by an average of 15-20 percent in the region in the last one decade. Most of the years in the last one decade have witnessed deficient rainfall during monsoon season.
During last year’s monsoon season, Punjab had recorded surplus rainfall while Haryana had recorded deficit rains. Punjab had received surplus rainfall of seven percent against the normal 491.9 mm while Haryana received 423.1 mm rainfall, recording a deficit of nine percent against the normal 466.3 mm.
In 2017, both Haryana and Punjab had recorded deficient rainfall. Punjab and Haryana had registered a deficit of 21 percent and 23 percent respectively.