Monsoon on wane, state still 26% deficient
As the monsoon approaches its withdrawal phase, which is expected to commence from September 22, Punjab is among the few states that have registered significantly deficient rainfall this year.
During September so far, rainfall in the state has been below the long-period average by 36 per cent. From September 1 to 18, Punjab received 32.4 mm rainfall against the normal of 53.8 mm for this period.
For the aforementioned period, the rainfall in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh was above the long-period average by 60 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively, according to data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
As far as the entire season is concerned, rainfall has been below par in all three states. From June 1 to September 18, the deficiency has been 26 per cent in Punjab, 19 per cent in Himachal Pradesh and three per cent in Haryana.
Tarn Taran and Pathankot in north-west Punjab were the only two districts in the state that received more rainfall than the long-period average, with the surplus being 60 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. In other districts, the deficiency ranged up to 58 per cent, with Bathinda being the worst-hit, followed by Hoshiarpur.
According to the IMD, the monsoon in the country as a whole has been above the long-period average by 7 per cent so far. Punjab figures alongside Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur that are in the red this year.
With 58 per cent above the long-period average, Rajasthan experienced the highest deviation from normal this season, followed by Gujarat (44 per cent) and Telengana (33 per cent).
Over the past 24 hours, light rain occurred at isolated areas in Punjab, but day as well as night temperature remained a few notches above normal at a few places. The weather office has predicted that light to moderate scattered rainfall is likely over the region during the week, but no significant weather activity is expected.
