Just 405 mm of rainfall recorded this year

KANPUR: The rainy season, which ended with the month of September, has recorded only 405 mm of rainfall which is 200 mm less than the total average rainfall in four months between June and September.
This year, the month of August fared better than other months by recording a total rainfall data of 123.8 mm against the average rainfall of 242 mm. The recordable rains in September were around 100 mm whereas the average rainfall in this month was 170 mm.It rained for four days only in months of August and September.
In July and August, the city had received only 52.9 mm and 79.9 mm of rainfall respectively. The people had hoped decent rainfall in September but this never happened. The monsoon had set in late June and the first rains lashed the city on June 25. This year, June received rains for only three days and the total recorded rain gauge was just 48.9 mm.
Attributing climate change and pollution for the scanty rainfall this year, the Met department said that a drought-like situation is prevailing in the state which has affected crops in many districts.
What has surprised the Met experts and the locals was the unexpected rainfall of 170 mm that had lashed the city in March this year despite the fact that March being a dry month.
The Met experts of CSA university said that March had received as much rains as was expected to occur in September. They said that excessive and unwanted rains in March had damaged the seasonal crops and now the drought-like conditions was ruining the kharif crop.
CB Singh, Met expert at CSA University, while talking to TOI, informed that due to scanty rainfall there had been an increase in the day temperature making weather extremely humid.
He said that the rain deficit in the period from June to September was due to the climate change. In this connection he cited the example that in March it had unexpectedly rained upto 170 mm whereas in June and July, if put together, the total rainfall gauge was only 128.8 mm, even much less than the March rainfall. The months of June and July are meant for heavy rains, crossing 200 mm of rains alone.
Naushad Khan, associate professor in agronomy department of CSA University told TOI that rain deficiency could cause problem to small and marginal farmers.
"The farmers, having tubewell facility, will be able to irrigate their crop but the small farmers who are dependant on rains will be at loss", he said.
He has advised the farmers to opt for integrated farming system so that they might not suffer any losses.
"The farmers should use the same farm for growing cash crops, vegetables and also make use of phosphorous to have a good yield", he said.