Punjab, Haryana receive scanty rains; deficit hovers at 40 pc

Punjab and Haryana, the two leading agrarian states of the country, received scanty rainfall this year, with the deficit hovering at 40 per cent each in the two states.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, also received poor rains, with a deficit of 43 per cent, an official of the Chandigarh's Meteorological Department told PTI here today.
Uncertain weather this year, including erratic and weak monsoon, has been the bane of farmers of the country's grain bowl states. Earlier this year, the farmers had to face vagaries of the weather as their crops were damaged due to unseasonal heavy rains and hailstorm in March this year.

Now, the rains have fallen silent in the region for the past over a month, leaving the farmers in the lurch.
According to the data available for June 1 to September 12, Punjab received 269.8 mm rainfall against normal of 448.1 mm for the period.
Neighbouring Haryana received 255.9 mm mm rainfall during the period, against the normal 425.3 mm, the MeT official said.

Chandigarh received 431 mm of rain between June 1 and September 12 against the normal of 762.5 mm, resulting in a deficit of 43 per cent, the official said.
In Punjab, Amritsar received 297.5 mm against normal of 497 mm, leaving a deficit minus 40 per cent while Bathinda received 197.3 mm against normal of 286.8 mm, with deficit of minus 31 per cent, during the period.

Ludhiana, however, was comparatively better having received 363.8 mm of rain against normal of 483.8, with deficit of minus 25 per cent.
As against this, Mansa had poor rains at just 83.9 mm during the period against normal of 296.5 mm, leaving a huge deficit at minus 72 per cent.
Among other Punjab districts which had poor rains included Tarn Taran, which had 139.5 mm, against normal of 310.7, leaving a deficit of minus 55 per cent. Moga had 165.8 mm during the period against normal of of 327.3, with deficit at minus 49 per cent.