July ends, 21% of India still suffers rainfall deficiency

Which means September is expected to receive excess rainfall.

New Delhi: India today enters into the third and second last month of the monsoon season but still 21% of the country has received "deficient" rainfall till July 31, according to the latest reports of the India Meteorological Department. But, the good news is that the next two months could see a good rainfall. August will see a "normal" rainfall while September is expected to witness "above normal" precipitation.

"The rainfall deficiency in June was 11 per cent, but July saw 7 per cent more rains than the normal limit. So, the accumulated deficiency of June got wiped out," said newly appointed IMD Director General K J Ramesh. 

However, the acute drought-hit regions like Vidarbha and Marathwada have received normal rainfall so far. According to the IMD, deficiency has reached 49 per cent in Saurashtra and Kutch region followed by Gujarat region (39), Himachal Pradesh (27), Assam and Meghalaya (26), Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Kerala (25) andOdisha (20).However, the good news is that the next two months could see a good rainfall. 

"Rainfall over the country as a whole during second half of southwest monsoon season (August and September) is most likely to be above normal. 
"Quantitatively, the rainfall for the country as a whole during second half of the season is likely to be 107 period of Long Period Average. The rainfall during August is likely to be 104 plus/minus 9 per cent of LPA as was forecasted in June," the IMD said. 

Anything less than 90 per cent of the LPA is termed as a "deficient" monsoon and 90-96 per cent of the LPA is rated as "below normal". Monsoon is considered "normal" if the period is between 96 and 104 per cent of the LPA.

(With PTI inputs)