August showers in Northwest India lower rain deficiency to 14%

Heavy rainfall in last few days in most parts of Northwest India, particularly in Rajasthan, has further narrowed the overall rainfall deficiency for 2012 monsoon season to 14 per cent below normal.

The rainfall deficiency was over 20 per cent at the beginning of August, while till last week it was around 16 per cent. The biggest drop has been in the Northwest where rainfall deficiency has fallen to 20 per cent from a high of over 50 per cent in July.

“There seems to be a considerable improvement in the southwest monsoon in last few weeks, and if the trend continues till the month-end, the overall shortfall could come down to almost 10 per cent,” a senior India Meteorological department official said.

The heavy showers have also helped in raising the water levels in major reservoirs across the country. According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the water in the reservoirs is around 57 per cent of full reservoir level (FRL).

In end-June, the water levels had dropped to just 16 per cent of the FRL. Kharif sowing of paddy and oilseeds have also picked up pace significantly because of the good showers.