City records less rainfall during July

City records less rainfall during July
deccan Herald

How come Bangaloreans are not seeing flooded roads and clogged drains this monsoon season? It is not because the civic authorities have desilted the drains or valleys, but because the city has received lesser than normal during July. The records show that Bangalore city and surrounding areas have registered negative normal rainfall last month.

Bangalore city and Bangalore Urban district received normal rainfall of 112.6 mm against a normal rainfall of 82.6 mm in the month of June after the onset of the monsoon.

However in the following month, rainfall decreased to ‘negative normal’ with 84.5 mm against the normal of 100.5 mm. Differences up to 20mm is considered as normal. However, decrease in rainfall up to 20 mm is ‘negative normal’.

Dr Anand Koppar, Director of the Meteorological Centre, speaking to Deccan Herald said, there is no favourable condition for rains in Bangalore city. Only isolated rainfall due to local factors is expected in the next three-four days. The condition is mainly because of strong winds and less moisture in the atmosphere.

Temperature

Meanwhile, the temperature in Bangalore city remained normal (average - max 27 degrees Celsius; min 19 degrees Celsius), barring minimum fluctuations for one or two days. Normally, major fluctuations in temperature are not expected during the monsoon period.

Even if there are any fluctuations, temperature returns to normal within a short period due to moisture in the atmosphere, Dr Koppar said.

Though the overall amount of rainfall since the onset of monsoon is not disappointing, absence of rains at regular intervals has severely affected agriculture activities in Bangalore Urban and Bangalore Rural districts.

Prof M P Rajegowda, Head of Agrometeorology Department (UAS), said, normally farmers in two districts start agriculture activities in the beginning of July.

But farmers received rains only on July 14 and started preparing the ground for sowing activity, expecting that they would get another rainfall in the next two-three days. But they had to wait for 15 days for the next rainfall. With the delay, the germination process was affected, causing heavy loss to farmers.

Widely-affected crops are groundnut, red gram and ragi of long duration. In view of this, the University of Agriculture Science is suggesting to farmers to take up cultivation of cowpea, sunflower, short duration ragi and other short-duration crops, Mr Rajegowda said.

STATISTICS

(Normal figure in brackets)

Bangalore Rural 133.9 mm (161.4mm)

Bangalore Urban 244.3mm (136mm)

Bangalore city 204mm (227mm)

*Recorded from June 1 to August first week