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Commuters caught in sharp showers in Bistupur on Thursday. Picture by Bhola Prasad
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Jamshedpur, Aug. 9: It is pouring good news for farmers of a drought-prone state.
The rain god’s largesse has dragged down the deficit by two notches to 14 per cent in the past 48 hours. And a plunge is on the cards with weathermen predicting heavy rain after the next 24 hours.
Statistics showed that till Wednesday, Jharkhand had received 531mm rainfall against a normal seasonal average of 617mm. So, the deficit that stood at 16 per cent on Sunday dropped by two per cent by Thursday.
In its forecast, the Patna Meteorological Office has said that the state, particularly its South Chotanagpur region, will experience downpour owing to a cyclonic circulation. “The system is hovering over Bengal and will impact weather conditions in Jharkhand after the next 24 hours. The intensity of rain is expected to increase, which will further bring down the deficit,” said director A.K. Sen.
According to the senior weather official, the cyclonic circulation had resulted in good spells of rain in different parts of Bengal and Odisha on Thursday. “It is expected to move towards Jharkhand tomorrow (Friday),” he said, adding that the intensity will be felt more in South Chotanagpur because the region borders Bengal.
The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore, Calcutta, also predicted shower sops for the state in coming days. “Rainfall will be fairly widespread in Jharkhand over the next few days since the monsoon trough is in its normal position. It is stretched between Anupgarh ( Rajasthan) and East Central Bay, covering Jaipur, Daltonganj and Bankura,” said director of the centre G.C. Debnath.
Debnath added that a weather chart analysis suggested formation of low-pressure areas over north-west Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which would further activate the monsoon currents.
Rain--meters in districts like Pakur, East Singhbhum, Khunti and Gumla have already been clocking a positive.
Pakur, Khunti and Gumla have retained their bounty status with 22 per cent, 19 per cent and 17 per cent surplus, respectively. East Singhbhum, on the other hand, converted a deficit of nine per cent recorded last week to a surplus of seven per cent this week.
The local weather office in Ranchi on Thursday recorded 50mm rain, while Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas received about 20mm in the past 48 hours. Both cities have witnessed close to 80mm in August so far.
Ranchi as a district, however, remains 23 per cent dry. The other not-so-fortunate districts include Deoghar and Sahebganj that have registered significant deficits of 37 per cent and 33 per cent.
The deficit meter also reads 21 per cent in Dhanbad, 16 per cent in Bokaro, 9 per cent in Seraikela-Kharsawan and 8 per cent in Palamau.
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