TURA: Meghalaya has recorded 41 per cent less rainfall during the monsoon season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.
Data released by the IMD on Sunday stated that Meghalaya experienced a drastic reduction in rainfall between June-September and the nationwide shortfall is 9 per cent. As per the IMD report, the entire northeastern region failed to receive substantial rainfall throughout the monsoon season that led to the main cause for the overall deficit.One of the main reasons attributed for the deficit is the weather system over the Bay of Bengal which moved towards central or northern India instead of moving towards the eastern parts, leaving most of the eastern region and the North East with insufficient rainfall.
According to the IMD report, the monsoon also experienced a weakening after the middle of August.
The concern is that the dry season next year could lead to major water crisis and impact crop irrigation. Large scale illegal felling of trees from reserve forests by timber smugglers has further compounded the situation in Garo Hills and across the state.
As per the IMD report, the top rain deficient states this year, besides Meghalaya, are Manipur (59 per cent), Arunachal Pradesh (32 per cent), Gujarat and Jharkhand (28 per cent each), Bihar (25 per cent), Tripura (21 per cent) and West Bengal (20 per cent).
IMD has mentioned only Kerala (24 per cent) and Sikkim (20 per cent) under the “excess” rainfall category while all other states have recorded normal rainfall for the season.
