Drought almost certain now, admits IMD
There is every possibility of 2009 being a “drought year” with weather officials saying that only rainfall 30% in excess of normal for the remainder of the monsoon from mid-August to September - a near impossibility - can now stave off the spectre...
By Prasad Kulkarni, TNN |
PUNE/NEW DELHI: There is every possibility of 2009 being a ���drought year��� with weather officials saying that only rainfall 30% in excess of normal for the remainder of the monsoon from mid-August to September ��� a near impossibility ��� can now stave off the spectre of drought.
PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday set up a group of ministers to chalk out a contingency plan to deal with the situation while a committee of secretaries may be asked to look into import of sugar. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the government would decide next week on whether to release food stocks into the open market to stabilise prices.
With the cumulative shortfall in rainfall touching 29%, the monsoon has defied predictions that it could revive to the extent that it significantly lowers the deficit in regions like north-west , central and north-east India.
A senior IMD official at Pune said the country was more than likely to end up with a drought unless the remaining 45 days of monsoon saw much more than average rainfall ��� something that would be contrary to the Met���s own predictions.
Explaining the scenario, IMD���s deputy director general for weather forecasting A B Mazumdar said, ���The rainfall should be at least 30% in excess of normal rains for the remaining 45 days of the monsoon season.���
The average rainfall of the June-to-September monsoon season in the country is 890mm and normal rain for the mid-August to end-of-September period is 324mm.
Running Dry
Monsoon cannot revive enough to lower the deficit in large parts of India Only 30% above average rain in remaining 45 days of season can prevent drought Drought year is declared when 20% to 40% of the country���s total area is rainfall deficient and June-Sept shortfall is 10% or more
PM Manmohan Singh on Thursday set up a group of ministers to chalk out a contingency plan to deal with the situation while a committee of secretaries may be asked to look into import of sugar. Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said the government would decide next week on whether to release food stocks into the open market to stabilise prices.
With the cumulative shortfall in rainfall touching 29%, the monsoon has defied predictions that it could revive to the extent that it significantly lowers the deficit in regions like north-west , central and north-east India.
A senior IMD official at Pune said the country was more than likely to end up with a drought unless the remaining 45 days of monsoon saw much more than average rainfall ��� something that would be contrary to the Met���s own predictions.
Explaining the scenario, IMD���s deputy director general for weather forecasting A B Mazumdar said, ���The rainfall should be at least 30% in excess of normal rains for the remaining 45 days of the monsoon season.���
The average rainfall of the June-to-September monsoon season in the country is 890mm and normal rain for the mid-August to end-of-September period is 324mm.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mazumdar said, ���The rainfall should be at least 30% more than the 324mm mark for the country to overcome potential drought. This can happen only in case of unusual rainfall activity.��� Running Dry
Monsoon cannot revive enough to lower the deficit in large parts of India Only 30% above average rain in remaining 45 days of season can prevent drought Drought year is declared when 20% to 40% of the country���s total area is rainfall deficient and June-Sept shortfall is 10% or more
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
