M A I N   N E W S

Rains will be delayed by a week in the North
Weatherman says expect widespread showers by July 8
Vibha Sharma/TNS

New Delhi, July 1
Monsoon clouds may have skipped the northwest India so far, but some relief is round the corner. The weather office today said rainfall was likely at isolated places in the first half of the week, followed by “considerable increase” in precipitation during the later half. The weather office said “by July 8 there would be an increase in the rainfall activity in the northwest India”.

THE ORDEAL l Rainfall in northwest India has been 63% below average over the past one week l Water levels in major reservoirs have dipped l Central India faced a rainfall deficiency of 36% l The shortfall has been 29% in southern parts l In contrast, the North-East is facing misery due to excessive rain, floods

Analysis of the current meteorological conditions indicates increase in rainfall in east, central and northwest zones due to development of seasonal east-west trough with embedded upper-air cyclonic circulation. Conditions would thus become favourable for further advance of seasonal rain over some more parts of central and northwest India, mainly during later half of the week, the IMD added.

While the North-East is facing misery due to excessive rain and floods, Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh, north Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are in the grip of a heat wave. The Delhi Government has extended summer vacations in schools by a week to give children some respite.

The rainfall has been below normal in all regions, except east and northeast India, over the past one week. In east and northeast India, the precipitation was above normal by 57 per cent, leading to widespread damage to property and human life.

According to agency reports, floods swamped more than 2,000 villages across 23 of Assam’s 27 districts, forcing around two million people to leave their homes for safer places. The death toll due to rain has gone up to 61. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi are expected to visit flood-affected areas to take stock of the situation.

In comparison, the rainfall in northwest India has been 63 per cent below average over the past one week. Water levels in major reservoirs have dipped. The central India faced a deficiency of 36 per cent, while the rainfall in the southern parts fell short by 29 per cent.

The bad monsoon run has led to farming operations being adversely affected in most states. According to Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janadolan Samiti (VJAS), six Vidarbha farmers have committed suicides over the past 72 hours due to delayed rains.

Although granaries of the country-Punjab, Haryana and west UP-are all irrigated, the fact remains that less rain means more stress on groundwater and reservoirs. The Centre is holding regular meetings with states on a contingency plan that includes sowing of drought-resistant varieties of paddy, pulses and oilseeds and increasing production. Already driven to resorting to desperate measures owing to prevailing agrarian crisis, Vidarbha farmers are now faced with the threat of re-sowing their crop if it does not rain soon, Tiwari told The Tribune. With six more farmers committing suicide, the Vidarbha tally had now risen to 422 for 2012, he added.