August starts on a dry note in Pune as district reports rainfall deficit of 88%

In Maharashtra, the monsoon has entered a phase of lull with the state receiving only 30.4 mm of rainfall against the normal of 98.7 mm in August so far.

As many as 320 districts reported normal rainfall, while 199 are seeing either a deficit or a large deficit. (file photo)

The first week of August has largely been dry in Pune, with the city receiving just 13.1 mm of rainfall as against the normal of 80 mm – a deficit of 88 per cent, which comes after an almost-dry July, weather officials said.

Across Maharashtra too, August has been unusually dry so far. The state has received only 30.4 mm of rainfall against the normal of 98.7 mm. Six states across the country have reported a rainfall deficit during the first week of August, while five recorded a large deficit. The rest of the states have reported either normal or a large excess in rainfall. In Himachal Pradesh, meanwhile, flash floods caused large-scale devastation and the death of scores of people.

In Maharashtra, the monsoon has entered a phase of lull. Anupam Kashyapi, former head of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said that it is expected to see a revival from August 13. A low-pressure area is likely to form in the north-west to adjoining west central Bay of Bengal during the time, he stated.

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Similarly, westerlies from the Arabian Sea are expected to strengthen, which would see monsoon activities gathering pace across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, Kashyapi added. Rainfall is also expected to revive in the Konkan, Pune and Mumbai from early next week onwards.

This year, monsoon started on a good note but has slacked off since July. Cumulative rainfall data released by the IMD shows that, overall, the monsoon has been just about normal in most parts of the country. As many as 320 districts reported normal rainfall, while 199 are seeing either a deficit or a large deficit. The country, as a whole, has received 527.1 mm of rainfall as against a normal of 518 mm for the period.

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