Dharamsala experiences 106 mm rain

Dharamsala, the seat of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, on Sunday experienced 106 mm rain, the highest in Himachal Pradesh, the weather bureau here said. But the overall monsoon was 17 per cent deficient in the state.

"Light to moderate rainfall has occurred at many place in the state with Kangra and Mandi districts experiencing heavy rainfall at some places since Saturday," Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office, told IANS.

He said there was no appreciable change in the minimum but the maximum temperatures declined by four to five degrees.

According to him, most of the prominent tourist destinations like Dharamsala, Palampur, Manali, Chamba and Dalhousie witnessed rainfall, bringing down temperatures to comfortable levels.

Shimla, a favourite retreat for tourists during summer, recorded a low of 16.4 degrees Celsius, while it was 15 degrees in another picturesque resort Manali and 16.2 degrees Celsius in Dharamsala.

"There are chances of rain at a few places in the state till September 1," he added.

Jogindernagar town got 80 mm, the second highest in the state, while Kangra and Dalhousie towns recorded 43 mm and 24 mm rain, respectively.

Manali got just 9 mm rain.

Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon was 17 per cent deficient in the state with four districts recording shortfall in rain.

The weather bureau said the overall monsoon was below average in most parts of the state.

It said the cumulative rainfall from June 1 till date was 566.1 mm against the normal precipitation of 683.9 mm.

Lahaul-Spiti district, known for producing the country's high variety, disease-free, pest-resistant Kufri Chandramukhi and Kufri Jyoti varieties of potatoes, recorded 78 per cent less than its normal rainfall, the highest in the state.

The deficiency was 53 per cent in Kinnaur district, 48 per cent in Chamba district, 29 per cent in Sirmaur district, and four per cent in Kangra district.

--IANS

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