New Delhi, July 14
The monsoon activity this month, which after the initial July rainfall has not been quite so vigorous, is expected to pick up in Punjab and Haryana over the next two days beginning tomorrow, the India Meteorological Department said today.

IMD Director-General Ajit Tyagi said: “While the northwest, comprising Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, J&K, Himachal and Uttarakhand, continues to be in the positive if the total rainfall account between June 1 and July 13 is taken into consideration, the region can expect scattered but well-distributed activity in the coming days followed with vigorous rainfall in the last week of the month.”

“So far in July, the northwest has seen scattered but well distributed, above normal rains, resulting in good progress in sowing. We are still in the positive over the northwest. There is no need to worry as good rain activity is expected in the last week of July,” he added.

According to the Met office, even though the country-wide monsoon position is 3 per cent below the long period average between June 1 and July 13, the northwest continues to be in the positive due to heavy thunderstorm activity in June.

As of now, among the 36 meteorological subdivisions in the country, six received excess rains, 22 normal and eight deficient rains during the past 45 days. Punjab received 126 mm rain against a normal 118 mm in this period, a gain of 7 per cent while Haryana received 113 mm against a normal of 108 mm, an increase of 4 per cent.

The good news is that in the next two days widespread rains are expected in Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh, along with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall over Uttarakhand, the Jammu division and Himachal Pradesh. Tyagi also assured that problems areas of Telangana, madhya Maharashtra and Vidharbha, which have received considerably less rainfall in this period, will also make up in coming days.

The rainfall in July has been less because of the absence of any significant system along with the shifting of the monsoon axis from its normal position.

During the week ending July 6, rainfall deficiency for the country as a whole was registered at 25 per cent of the LPA, mainly due to shortage of 52 per cent over central India. Situation improved in the subsequent week with rainfall average going up to 1 per cent above LPA. The rainfall activity is expected to improve considerably between July 16 and 22 with fairly widespread rains along the west coast, foothills of Himalayas and over northeast and adjoining east India with scattered rainfall over remaining parts of the country.