Despite Met Department forecast ‘normal’ monsoon this year, the country has recorded the lowest pre-monsoon rain in five years. India has recorded 11 per cent deficient rain till May 16.
As many as 13 sub-divisions in the country, including Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh, have recorded deficient pre-monsoon rain so far. The situation is particularly grim in Gujarat.
The Met Department data shows that Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya have recorded 38 per cent, 25 per cent and 27 per cent less rain respectively between March 1 and May 16, 2018. Similarly, Bihar has recorded 26 per cent, Punjab 47 per cent, Himachal Pradesh 36 per cent, Rajasthan 51 per cent, Haryana 23 per cent, Maharashtra 51 per cent and Madhya Pradesh 41 per cent less rain during the same period. Gujarat has recorded 91 per cent deficient rain during this season so far.
However, some States like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Karnataka, Goa, lakshadweep and Tripura have received excess pre-monsoon rains, too. UP has recorded 22 per cent excess rain while Andhra Pradesh recorded 36 per cent excess rain.
Telangana has received 40 per cent and Karnataka 54 per cent excess rain during the same period. lakshadweep has recorded 150 per cent excess rain while Kerala recorded 35 per cent extra rain so far.
Manipur, Sikkim, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi, Odisha and Chhattisgarh are among those States which have received normal pre-monsoon rain so far.
Dadar, Nagar Haveli, Diu and Daman have not received any pre-monsoon rain so far.
The pre-monsoon rain affects almost all the States of India, but its effect can be seen in two ways such as in some States of northern India reduces the intensity of heat waves, but it came with the blessing of showers in the Eastern and Southern India for the farmers.
“The country’s agriculture and the livelihood of farmers depend on the monsoon rain and the pre-monsoon rain which brings blessing to the fruit producing farmers especially mango and litchi growers. Besides, pre monsoon rain is very important for tea plantation because this shower increases the quality and productivity of the tea farming. Hence, it is called ‘Tea Shower’ in Assam,” said Binod Pandey, member secretary of Kisan Mahasangh.
This March was also significantly dry - the driest since 2014 - and has got drier over the last couple of years. Pre-monsoon rain is an important aspect in the run-up to the Kharif season, when farmers prepare the soil for sowing and irrigating fruit, vegetable crops.
“Pre-monsoon rain depends mostly on the movement of western disturbances and moisture supply from the Arabian Sea. The main reason for less-than-normal pre-monsoon activity was the lack of moisture supply from the Arabian Sea due to a westward shift of the anti-cyclone on most days. Though we had western disturbances developing, there was not enough moisture supply to cause rains,” said Met Department officials.
The Met Department has predicted that south-west monsoon is expected to hit the Kerala coast on 29 May, three days ahead of its normal date of arrival. The beginning of the southwest monsoon, which provides over 70 per cent of the annual rainfall to the country, is marked by its onset over the Kerala coast, usually on June 1.
However, since 2014, with the exception of last year, when the monsoon arrived on May 29, the monsoon has been delayed.