Pre-monsoon rain raises hopes for good harvest

Guwahati: Pre-monsoon showers have given a ray of hope to farmers who could not reap a good harvest due to deficit monsoon rains in the northeast last year.
As per the rainfall distribution data recorded in the first month of pre-monsoon season (between March 1 to 31), which was released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday, five of the seven NE states received more rainfall during the month compared to March last year.
Last month, Meghalaya received 135.3 mm rainfall (highest among all NE states), which is 58% above normal range for the hilly state. While the departure above normal stood second highest in Tripura with 19% more rainfall than normal, Assam stood third with 16% departure above normal. Tripura received 88.2 mm rainfall in March, whereas the corresponding figure for Assam was 91.3 mm.
Nagaland and Mizoram experienced comparatively less rainfall than Meghalaya, Tripura and Assam but the experience in these two states was better than the beginning phase of pre-monsoon last year. The departure for Nagaland was 78% below normal last year, but it is 7% below normal this year.
In Mizoram, too, the departure improved from minus 81% to minus 21%. Nagaland and Mizoram received 47.7 and 59.2 mm rainfall in March respectively.
Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur are the only two states in the northeast where overall rainfall has comparatively reduced. While the reduction has been minimal in Arunachal (from minus 32 to minus 36 percent), Manipur recorded a fall from 8% above normal in March last year to minus 39% last month.
Met officials said conditions are favourable for more rains for the next five days. The IMD has issued a “yellow warning” in the northeast on Sunday and Monday, predicting heavy rainfall at isolated places in all seven NE states.
An IMD statement on Saturday said thunderstorms with lightning are very likely to occur at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday. Thunderstorms and lightning accompanied with gusty wind with speed reaching up to (30-40 kmph) is also very likely to occur at isolated places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during the day.