Indore, Jul 22 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh has recorded 14 per cent below-normal rainfall this monsoon, with tribal-dominated Alirajpur district, where sowing of kharif crops has been severely affected due to scanty showers, witnessing a 78 per cent deficit so far.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) shared this data on Tuesday.
The state has recorded 286.8 mm of rainfall since June 1, compared to the average rainfall level of 335.3 mm during this period.
Alirajpur received only 64.8 mm of rainfall during the period under review, compared to the normal rainfall level of 297.9 mm in the district, as per the data.
“Due to extremely low rainfall, only 1.16 lakh hectares of crops like soybean, maize, black gram, cotton, and groundnut have been sown in the district so far, compared to 1.89 lakh hectares last year. The lack of rain has also affected crop growth,” Dr R K Yadav, senior scientist and head of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Alirajpur, told PTI.
Farmers are being advised to consider cultivating short-term and low water-requiring crops like moong, jowar, and millet if there is insufficient rainfall in the next few days, he said.
According to the IMD data, rainfall distribution in the state has been highly uneven. Eastern Madhya Pradesh has recorded 18 per cent less rainfall than normal, while the western part has recorded 11 per cent deficit.
Rewa was the worst-affected district in the eastern region of the state, receiving 59 per cent less rainfall than normal. Maihar, Singrauli, Narsinghpur, and Sidhi also experienced significant rainfall deficits. However, Niwari received 10 per cent more rainfall than normal.
The picture was mixed in western Madhya Pradesh. Dewas emerged as the state’s wettest district, recording 460.3 mm of rain, 51 per cent more than normal. Indore, Bhind, Burhanpur, and Bhopal also received above-normal rainfall.
Districts like Jhabua, Narmadapuram, Dhar, Datia, Shivpuri, and Morena registered 33 to 45 per cent less than normal rainfall.
Ratlam, Barwani, Shajapur, Ashoknagar, and Gwalior also received below-normal rainfall, while Khandwa, Khargone, Rajgarh, and Ujjain recorded near-normal rainfall. PTI HWP MAS NP NR
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