The Hindu Business Line : Orissa, Gujarat in for another wet spell

A fresh `low' has materialised in the Bay of Bengal basin spinning rapidly to become a well marked `low' on Tuesday, but the heavy rain belt will remain locked to where it has been for over the past week or so.

The system is forecast to churn into a depression over the next two days and chart a course in the west-northwest direction dumping rain along a familiar trajectory extending from Orissa to the Gujarat coast.

Still rain-deficit

According to Dr K.J. Ramesh, Department of Science and Technology, some of the rain-deficit areas such as Telangana and the interior peninsula will look to this system for deliverance. Telangana had expected to get a soaking from the preceding well marked `low' but managed to get one day's rain only.

Statistics up till July 26 listed 216 districts among those receiving deficient/scanty rainfall. This makes for almost one-third of the total and is a high number, Dr Ramesh said. "Rainfall for this month (August) becomes crucial in the context, especially when we have to contend with higher monthly normals."

Saving grace

One saving grace has been all oilseed and pulses growing areas having received good and timely rainfall. They are bracing to get another round of heavy precipitation, which augurs well for the standing crop.

"This is a far cry from last year when we had a crunch time, leading to flaring up of edible oil prices," Dr Ramesh said. One other redeeming feature is that almost all major reservoirs have reached or are reaching full levels now.

Standing ground

This is because unlike last year, the monsoon has been able to stand its ground and not get swept away mid course by impeding westerly systems. Successive `low's originating from the Bay and strong cross-equatorial flows ensured that the system managed to keep the westerlies at bay.

A forecast by the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) said the ongoing rainfall over Orissa is likely to further increase with scattered heavy to extremely heavy rainfall during next 48 hours. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh will be covered during the next four days.

Fairly widespread rains are likely over madhya Maharashtra, Konkan and Goa. Monsoon is likely to be active from Orissa to Gujarat during the five days, the NCMRWF said.

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