Maharashtra has reported a 66 per cent rainfall deficit in the pre-monsoon season, IMD data showed as India reels from a dry and torrid summer, according to an Indian Express article. As per the data the state recorded only 9.6 mm rain against a normal of 28.2 mm with Vidarbha and Marathwada being the driest districts.
Maharashtra is the sixth state to have witnessed the most driest pre-monsoon season in recent years. The other states are Dadra and Nagar Haveli (-100 per cent), Gujarat (-99 per cent), Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh (-74 per cent), Jammu and Kashmir (-72 per cent) and Chandigarh (-67 per cent).
No rainfall was reported over seven districts between March 1 and May 30, IMD said. These include Nandurbar, Beed, Hingoli, Jalna, Bhandara, Buldhana and Washim districts. Other highly rain-deficient districts during the period are Gondiya, Akola (-99 per cent), Raigad (-98 per cent), Amravati -96 per cent), Parbhani (-95 per cent), Chandrapur, Latur (-93 per cent), Palghar (-91 per cent), Wardha (-89 per cent), Nagpur (-86 per cent), Nanded (-85 per cent), Nashik (-88 per cent), Pune (-79 per cent) and Mumbai (-72 per cent).
According to the Central Water Commission’s reservoir storage report, Vidarbha and Marathwada this year recorded 87 per cent and 83 per cent water stock respectively, which is lower than the stock levels from the same period in 2021. Reservoir stocks in Maharashtra, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand were also below the May 2021 levels, the report showed.
Usually, Maharashtra reports rainfall accompanied by thunder, lightning and even occasion hailstorms during the peak summer. However, this year, the state faced scoring temperatures and an absence of rains in March. IMD officials have said the dry spell is due to the absence of favourable and rain-bearing weather systems over Maharastra and north India.
The region will receive relief with light pre-monsoon shower and thunder in early June due to the arrival of the southwest monsoon on Sunday. The IMD has issued a yellow alert has been issued for May 31-June 2 for six districts: Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur. A similar alert for Tuesday has been issued for Parbhani, Latur, Hingoli, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad, Amravati, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Nagpur, Gondia and Wardha districts.
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