Visakhapatnam/Anantapur: Andhra Pradesh is most likely to receive ‘above average’ rainfall during the June-September southwest monsoon season.
The monsoon rains are seen at 106 per cent of long-term-average (LPA) in 2024. This is the first time in a decade that IMD has predicted above-normal rainfall. It issued the LPA forecast 45 days in advance of the actual onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala on June 1.
Andhra Pradesh had received 13 per cent deficient rainfall during the southwest monsoon in 2023. The state recorded a total of 454.6 mm rainfall between June 1 and September 30 in 2023, which was 13 per cent deficient than the normal of 521.6 mm.
In 2022, the state recorded a total of 575.5 mm rainfall (over 10 per cent more than the normal of 521.6 mm).
Senior scientist at IMD-Amaravati, S. Karuna Sagar said AP can expect good monsoon rainfall during the southwest monsoon season this year. The seasonal rainfall will be 106 per cent of the LPA.
Referring to the El Nino conditions, he said this was weakening and it would most likely enter a neutral stage by the time the monsoon set in. “La Nina weather conditions are seen developing during the last two months of the monsoon season this year. La Nina conditions associated with good rains are likely to set by August-September,” he stated.
A report from Anantapur said IMD prediction of good rainfall during the southwest monsoons brought cheers to farmers of AP, particularly Rayalaseema region. Worse conditions of water crisis are being faced now due to deficit rainfall during the last monsoons.
The Krishna and Pennar basins, major sources for AP, are facing an acute shortage of water in the reservoirs soon after withdrawal of southwest monsoon. As against the 589.67 tmc-ft of total capacity in Krishna basin, water sources are confined at 234.6tmc-ft, just 39 per cent, while there was a water storage of 72.07 per cent during January 2023.
The water in Tungabhadra reservoir is confined to 3.95 tmc-ft as against its capacity of 100.86 tmc-ft. The Srisailam Reservoir, another major source of AP and TS, was suffering from an acute shortage of water. Srisailam recorded only 33.77 tmc-ft as against gross capacity of 215.81 tmc-ft. There was not even a single cusec of inflow for both projects while it is unable to meet needs of dependent projects.
Major source of AP from Tungabhadra reservoir, an interstate project under Krishna basin, has been witnessing critical conditions after the poor southwest monsoon last season.
