Rain deficiency looms large over Telangana as monsoon remains sluggish

Hyderabad: As the eagerly awaited monsoon season approaches, concerns loom large over several districts in the State as they face a distressing shortageof rainfall in June. The IMD-H(India Meteorological Department, Hyderabad) announced that the South West Monsoon has advanced into some parts of Telangana, mainly Khammam, and the remaining parts of Andhra Pradesh on June 22. Conditions are favorable for further advance of monsoon over some parts of Telangana, including Hyderabad for the next two to three days.

Speaking to The Hans India, Sravani, Scientist in IMD, Hyderabad, said, “Although Hyderabad witnessed showers on June 21, the sustenance and persistence of the rainfall is crucial to declare the arrival of monsoon by weather officials. The even distribution of rainfall across the city is important. It is likely that conditions are favorable for the advancement of monsoon into Hyderabad and remaining parts of Telangana in next 48 hours. The delay in monsoon is not unusual as it happened earlier in 2020, when the monsoon hit the city on June 21.”

Specific criteria, such as the quantity of rainfall and the range of stations covered, must be met in order to classify it as monsoon. Unless there is widespread rainfall, farmers need to wait for some time for sowing in this season. There has been a large deficient rainfall in 27 of the 33 districts as far as June as monsoon is yet to reach several parts of the State. Except Vikarabad, Jogulamba Gadwal, Narayanpet, Sangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy have been listed as deficient and the rest of the 27 districts are considered largely deficient as per the release issued by IMD-H on Thursday.

Generally, whenever there is -59 percent to -20 percent deviation from the average rainfall, it is considered as deficient rainfall while -60 percent and below from average, it is called largely deficient. Until June 22, Telangana was facing -78 percent deviation from the normal with just 19.6 mm rainfall out of the 85.8 mm rainfall to be received during this period of the year.

K Nagaratna, the head of IMD-H said, “the intensity of rainfall can increase in several parts of Telangana, including Hyderabad in coming days.” In the coming days, a low-pressure area is likely to be formed in the Bay of Bengal around June 25 or 26 which can accelerate the progress of the monsoon in the several parts of the State. The cyclonic circulation over west-central and adjoining Northwest Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh-south Odisha coasts would bring widespread and heavy rainfall.