June is a bonus but will the bloom endure?

Siddharth Tak/ Zee Research Group

India has received satisfactory and healthy rainfall in June 2013. Interestingly, rainfall in the last month has been the highest ever recorded in the last 12 years.

A Zee Research Group (ZRG) analysis reveals that India has received 216.3 mm of rainfall between June 1 to June 30, 2013. Similarly in June 2008, India received 202 mm of rainfall followed by 2007 (192.5 mm), 2011 (183.5 mm), 2002 (180.1 mm), 2003 (179.9 mm), 2004 (158.7 mm), 2005 (143.2 mm), 2006 (141.8 mm), 2010 (138.1 mm), and 2012 (117.8). While in June 2001, India received the highest rainfall of 219 mm since June 2000, the worst rainfall figure of 85.7 mm was recorded in June 2009.

The seasonal rainfall (in mm) from June 1, 2013 to July 3, 2013 has been 27 per cent higher than average rainfall in the country. Northwest India received the highest rainfall of 97 per cent followed by 60 per cent in Central India and South Peninsula (29 per cent). However, the East and Northeast region received 36 per cent deficient rains.


Explaining the reason behind the good monsoon in the northwest region, D Shivanand Pai, director of long-range forecasts at the IMD, Pune, said, “Most of the time the moisture is coming from Northwest India and Central India region which makes the good rainfall. However, there is some low pressure in the northeastern region which leads to lesser rainfall in most of the states of northeastern region.”

“This year monsoon is expected to be good but there will be rainfall deficiency in the northeast parts of the country,” added Pai.


Arunachal Pradesh is the most affected region in terms of rainfall deficiency with a figure of 51 per cent followed by Assam & Meghalaya pack (50 per cent), sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim (21 per cent), Jharkhand (17 per cent), Coastal Andhra Pradesh (13 per cent) and Rayalaseema (10 percent) respectively during the corresponding period under review (June 1, 2013- July 3, 2013).

East UP witnessed the maximum rainfall of 171 per cent followed by Uttarakhand (156 per cent), West Madhya Pradesh (141 per cent), East Madhya Pradesh (139 per cent), West UP (128 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (117 per cent), Punjab (112 per cent) and Vibarbha (103 per cent) respectively.

However, at the same time the heavy rainfall has damaged crops and has led to the rising prices of vegetables across all the region of the country.