Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Monsoon not all that encouraging

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State as a whole is 13 per cent deficient in monsoon rainfall as of August 11, according to the latest hydrology update of India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Although the shortfall in rainfall at this stage of the monsoon is of a scale within the range of what is considered normal (the IMD defines plus or minus 20 per cent of the long-term average rainfall as ‘normal'), the rainfall distribution among the districts is a cause of worry.

Wayanad is 54 per cent on the deficit side, receiving only 987 mm of rainfall during the period June 1 to August 11, against a long-term average of 2,135 mm.

Kozhikode district is only two per cent on the deficit side, receiving 2,156 mm of rainfall during the aforementioned period, against a long-term average of 2,200 mm. Kannur, which received 2,049 mm of rainfall against a normal of 2,163 mm, is only five per cent deficient.

Kasaragod received seven per cent excess rainfall (2,517 mm against a normal of 2,352 mm). Palakkad district is nine per cent deficient (1,172 mm against 1,290 mm), Malappuram district 18 per cent (1,311mm against 1,600 mm) and Thrissur district 11 per cent (1,491 mm against 1,683 mm).

Idukki district, where the State's major hydro-electric reservoirs are located, is nine per cent deficient in monsoon, receiving 1,678 mm of rainfall in place of an area-weighted normal of 1,850 mm. Pathanamthitta district, which also contributes significantly to power generation, is 16 per cent deficient (999 mm against 1,195 mm).

Ernakulam district is only four per cent on the deficit side (1,663 mm against 1,731 mm) and Kottayam nine per cent (1,307 mm against 1,441 mm), while in Alappuzha district the rainfall so far is deficient to the extent of 21 per cent (1,058 mm against 1,331 mm). Kollam district is also deficient by 21 per cent, receiving only 777 mm of rainfall against a normal of 987 mm for the period from June 1 to August 11.

The monsoon so far has not been encouraging for Thiruvananthapuram district too, with the rainfall touching just 496 mm against a normal of 694 mm, the deficiency being 29 per cent.

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