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Nellore gets excess rainfall
The district which faced wrath of weather vagaries had finally gained excess rainfall at the end of current southwest monsoon season which has been the highest across the state and still farmers are waiting for good rains during northeast monsoon for starting paddy cultivation. It had received 37.2 per cent excess rainfall by the end of September 2nd week since June 1.
Nellore: The district which faced wrath of weather vagaries had finally gained excess rainfall at the end of current southwest monsoon season which has been the highest across the state and still farmers are waiting for good rains during northeast monsoon for starting paddy cultivation. It had received 37.2 per cent excess rainfall by the end of September 2nd week since June 1.
The district normally receives good rainfall during northeast monsoon but due to upper air cyclonic troughs and cumulonimbus activities there has been encouraging rainfall in many mandals this year. From June 1, the district received 382.1 mm against the normal of 278.7 mm. There was less rainfall even up to July but the situation improved with somewhat good rains since August.
Data shows that the district received 59.6 mm in July against normal of 86.3 mm; 147.5 mm against 86.1 mm in August and 99.7 mm against normal of 49.4 mm during second week of September. Finally, 35 mandals out of 46 have witnessed excess rainfall whereas others remain under normal category and luckily no single mandal has been fallen deficit category.
Average rainfall off the district is 1080 mm but the district has been seeing shortage of rainfall for the last four years. It received 1056.5 mm with 2.8 per cent deficit in 2011-12; 847.9 mm in 2012-13 with 21.5 deficit; 721 mm in 2013-14 with 29.7 per cent deficit and 631.3 mm of rainfall in 2014-15 with 41.5 per cent deficit.
The trend had continued with 259.70 mm of rainfall with 72.30 per cent of deficit even during 2015-16. The district received surplus rainfall of 1368.4 mm only during 2010-11 with 26.7 per cent compared to previous year. Due to deficit rainfall during last year, farmers failed to cultivate paddy and the extent also reduced to 40 per cent. But, they switched over to other crops such as red gram, black gram, bajra, sunflower, groundnut, sugarcane, and horticulture crops as an alternative.
“The current rainfall is encouraging for dry crops and have to wait for good rains during northeast monsoon for considering paddy crop. The upper areas of Kadapa and others have to receive good rains and the reservoirs in the district have to reach a minimum level of 40 tmcft of water. Then only we will be able to consider paddy crop,” said Ch Kotireddy, general secretary of the Confederation of Indian Farmers' Associations (CIFA). He added that they are hopeful of sufficient rains in the rainy season.
