The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Monsoon belies hopes of a late recovery in State

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Sunday, Jul 27, 2008
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Monsoon belies hopes of a late recovery in State

P. Venugopal

The rainfall deficit up to July 23 put at 43 per cent

State too far behind to make up the deficit
The highest deficit of 73 per cent in Wayanad

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the season approaches the half-way mark, it appears this monsoon is not a race Kerala is going to win.

Hopes of the State rallying from a poor start to finish the four-month season with honours, or at least its pride intact, are receding. The latest rainfall update of India Meteorological Department shows the State 43 per cent in the deficit for the period June 1 to July 23.

There have been a couple of instances during the past 18 years when Kerala could come out with a late-season spurt to finish the monsoon past the long-term average in rainfall.

But the State is too far behind seven weeks into the 16-week season this time to make such a rally possible, at least judging from recent history. Another instance of a 30-plus deficit (let alone 43) at this stage of the season is not in the records of the Meteorology Centre here since 1991.

Just 72 cm

During the period June 1 to July 23, the State received only 72.35 cm of rainfall against a normal of 1,27.19 cm. As at the time of the previous weekly rainfall update, Kerala trails fourth from behind among 36 meteorological divisions in the country. Only Marathwada (62 per cent deficit), north interior Karnataka (53 per cent deficit) and Madhya Maharashtra (49 per cent deficit) are behind Kerala during the season so far.

All districts in the State are in the deficit. The list, in the order from the lowest, is as follows, the figures in the brackets indicating the extent of the shortfall in rainfall in percentage:

Wayanad (73), Thiruvananthapuram (55), Malappuram (48), Kannur (45), Kollam (44), Thrissur (44), Idukki (43), Palakkad (43), Ernakulam (7), Kottayam (40), Kozhikode (39), Kasaragod (29), Pathanamthitta (27) and Alappuzha (26).

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