Despite cloudy skies, rains continue to elude Pune city and its surrounding regions. As of July 4, Pune district reported 26 percent deficit rainfall with the district receiving 168.5 mm of rainfall as against the 227.1 mm it was projected to receive by this time. The silver lining is the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast that the monsoon will advance further in the next few days, bringing fresh showers. June for Pune ended on a dismal note with the city receiving 83 mm of rainfall as against the normal 112 mm of rainfall it had to receive. July, the IMD said, would witness above normal rainfall. Irregular episodes of moderate to heavy rainfall have been reported in and around Pune city for the last few days, which has helped in increasing the water levels at dams. However, the rainfall has not been enough to kickstart the sowing activities in the region. Dr Anupam Kashyapi, head weather forecasting of IMD, said four systems have developed which will make the monsoon “active to vigorous” again. These are an offshore trough from South Gujarat to Kerala, upper air cyclonic circulation over South Gujarat and South West Bay of Bengal, and the monsoon trough. These systems would ensure fresh rains. While the city has not seen much rainfall, IMD’s observation shows that areas surrounding it, which feed the dam systems of the city, have been receiving good rainfall. Lonavala has received 13.5 mm of rainfall while Lavale has received 12.5 mm. Shivajinagar has received just 0.3 mm of rains while Talegaon has seen 1.5 mm of rainfall. Given the scanty rainfall the state has received, agriculture commissioner Sunil Chavan has appealed to farmers to go for sowing only after adequate rainfall is received. The state, he said, has enough stock of fertilizers, seeds and farmers should take care of ample rainfall before they start sowing.
