Rainfall drastically declining in NE states

Aizawl, Aug 16: At a time when the entire country refers to Northeast as a hotspot of bio-diversity for abundance of natural resources and rainfall, Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) uttered a reverse view after observing 25 years' data of weather parameters.

Despite routine onset of monsoon and high intensity showers, IMD has disclosed a steady declination of rainfall across NE, which has now become a cause of concern to the meteorologists.

The IMD has already identified Mizoram, Manipura, Tripura and Nagaland, as 'rain deficient' states after analysing two and half decades weather data and predicted that states are likely to face drought-like situation in near future.

Talking to sources, Mr Dulal Chakraborty, Deputy Director of IMD, NE Regional centre, said the four states have been receiving deficient rainfall for the past 25 years, including this year, and in 1992 NE had received the ever lowest rainfall estimated at about 37 per cent less than normal (minus 37 per cent).

''The total rainfall in Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland on average is less than 26 per cent till second week of August this year. Only in 1988, 1993, 1997 and 2003 the states had received excess rainfall,'' Mr Chakraborty said.

Revealing the rainfall pattern in NE, he stated that except Mizoram all other six states of the region received deficit rainfall ranging from minus 52 per cent to 14 per cent, which is according to the regional distributions.

And Tripura is lowest in the deficit list while Nagaland is on the highest point this year.

However, for Mizoram, the figure shows that it had received about 13 per cent excess (plus thirteen per cent) rainfall in comparision to normal rainfall till date.

Explaining the physical reason of the variation Mr Chakraborty said, the south-west monsoon always hit the Himalayan foothill last week of May and moved towards northeast with highest intensity but it never came back once it cross Gangetic West Bengal on way to central India.

UNI