Hyderabad: Telangana recorded a 95 percent rainfall deficit in the first three weeks of October, as El Nino upended the usual weather pattern. Twelve districts did not receive a trace of rain in this period. The remaining 21 districts also recorded a huge deficit.
The state normally receives 75.6 mm of rain in the first three weeks of October. This time, only 5.3 mm has fallen. The shortfall is likely to affect crops and groundwater.
Telangana usually experiences continuous rain in October, when the southwest monsoon retreats. In Hyderabad city, rain comes only after a slight increase. Bhagyanagaram received a total of 400 mm of rain in October 2020, but El Nino has completely reversed the situation this year.
Districts that received no rain in 21 days
Hanumakonda, Jayashankar Bhupapalli, Jagtial, Karimnagar, Medchal-Malajgiri, Mancherial and Medak did not receive even a drop of rain in these 21 days. Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Sircilla, Sangareddy and Siddipet also stayed completely dry.
Officials are concerned about rainfall deficit over the past few days due to El Nino. They fear it will reduce soil moisture and cut water availability in many parts of the state. Drizzle is expected in the districts.