Delta worst hit as 24 districts record below-normal rainfall

CHENNAI: Two cyclones have come and gone in quick succession, and a third one is brewing on the horizon not far from Tamil Nadu's coast. However, as many as 24 of 38 districts in the State have recorded below-normal rainfall this northeast monsoon season.

The next system, which the India Meteorological Department (IMD) says may intensify into yet another cyclone by Monday evening, too, is unlikely to help. In fact, it is expected to disrupt the monsoon flow, leaving Tamil Nadu high and dry.

The worst-hit among the 38 districts is Thanjavur, which has received less than half the normal rainfall this season. From October 1 to November 14, the Delta district is supposed to get 298.7 mm of rainfall, but the actual was only 143.9 mm, a deficiency of 52%. This is a double whammy for the thousands of farmers who are already reeling under a series of setbacks that have resulted in large-scale losses.

The primarily agrarian Delta districts in its neighbourhood are not better off: Tiruvarur (-33%), Pudukkottai (-33%), Mayiladuthurai (-32%), Ariyalur (-31%), Nagapattinam (-21%) and Cuddalore (-31%) are all facing a crippling shortage of rainfall, which will affect the ongoing thaladi (late samba) crop, which in turn will have a direct impact on Tamil Nadu's food security in the near future.

Tiruchy, however, is in a relatively better condition, with the rainfall remaining 4% deficient.

Overall, 13 districts have been categorised as deficient, a tag that is given by the IMD when the rainfall is 20% or more below normal. Even by that count, five more districts – besides the ones in Delta – have more than 20% deficiency. Of them, Chengalpattu (-44%) and Kancheepuram (-33%) are in Chennai's neighbourhood and provide the city with a not-so-insignificant amount of agricultural produce. Sivaganga (-31%), Madurai (-24%) and Thoothukudi (-22%) have also recorded deficient rains this season.

Chennai is 22% below normal, staying on the margin of being categorised as deficient, while Tiruvallur is much better off at -8%.

In the neighbourhood, mainland Puducherry is equally affected, 43% below normal, while Karaikal, which is part of the Union Territory, is near-normal with only 3% less than the usual rainfall during this period.

On the other side, 15 districts have had above-normal rainfall so far, but some barely so. At the top are Coimbatore (46%), Erode (35%), Tirunelveli (31%), Kallakurichi (23%), Dindigul (22%), Namakkal (22%) and Tiruvannamalai (20%). Four other districts have above-normal rainfall, but the departure is in single figures.

However, while several key districts have received much less rainfall for normal, the overall number does not reflect this. According to official data, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry region received 259.6 mm as against 271.9 mm, a deficiency of just 5 per cent.