MC Daily Monsoon Tracker: Number of states facing rain deficit declines to 7

Ten states received excess rainfall on August 21

The number of states facing monsoon rain deficit has narrowed to seven on August 21 from nine in the previous week, data released by India Meteorological Department (IMD) has shown.

The rainfall surplus remained at 3.73 percent, with the country getting 650.8 mm of rain against the normal figure of 627.4 mm. Ten states got excess rain on August 21.

Punjab and Chandigarh have the highest shortfall of over 30 percent, while the remaining five states have a deficit of more than 20 percent.

Kharif sowing was 2.1 percent higher at 103.2 million hectares, as rainfall remained uneven across the country, data released by the ministry of agriculture and famers welfare on August 20 shows.

Paddy sowing was up 5.6 percent at 36.9 million hectares and pulses 5.7 percent higher from the year-ago period. Jute sowing continues to be lower and was down 13 percent and cotton 9 percent .

Reservoir levels were comfortably above the normal capacity as of August 16, data released by the Central Water Commission said.

The overall water level of the country’s 150 reservoirs was 14 percent above normal, with the storage level was 31 percent higher in the southern region.

Like the rain, the level of reservoirs is also uneven. The water level in northern and eastern regions, which continue to be rain deficient, remains below normal.

In the north, the levels were nearly a third below the normal capacity and in the east, three out of seven states have a shortfall.

In the farm  state of Punjab, conditions are worrying and the water level is 69 percent below normal, while Bihar has 32 percent lower capacity.

The government is hoping for a revival of the agricultural sector, which grew 1.4 percent in FY24 against 4.7 percent in the previous year. It also fell way short of the 3.7 percent long-term average.