Nagpur observatory sees no rain for 15 days, advises farmers
Nagpur observatory says Vidarbha will get no monsoon rain for two weeks and tells farmers to turn to other irrigation options.
Farmers across the state are waiting for rain, but the news from the Nagpur observatory is likely to add to their worry. The observatory has said there is no chance of monsoon rain in Vidarbha for the next 15 days. It has advised farmers to stop waiting for monsoon rain and focus on other irrigation options instead.
According to the observatory, Vidarbha gets monsoon rain only when a low-pressure belt forms over the Bay of Bengal. But there is currently no sign of a low-pressure belt forming over the Bay of Bengal in the coming days, said Praveen Kumar, a scientist at the Nagpur observatory. He said the effect of El Nino is still continuing and September too is likely to see below-average rainfall. Praveen Kumar said local weather conditions could bring rain to small pockets, but there is no chance of active monsoon rain for the next two weeks.
Praveen Kumar further said there is very little chance of rain in the coming days, since there is no sign of a low-pressure belt forming over the Bay of Bengal. For the next four to five days, the chance of rain is very low, with no signs of rain anywhere. Since no rain is expected for the next 15 days, farmers should now turn to other options. The effect of El Nino is clearly visible and it has become active on a large scale.
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party Sharadchandra Pawar party MLA Rohit Pawar posted on social media that drought-like conditions prevail across the state, including Marathwada and Vidarbha. He said the World Meteorological Organisation had predicted last month that September would also be dry because of El Nino, and this has turned out to be completely true. According to Rohit Pawar, the entire season has been ruined and farmers are trapped in a major financial crisis. He said the reality of the current drought is very frightening and conditions will keep worsening day by day. He has therefore demanded that the government declare a drought at today's cabinet meeting and announce assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare to farmers and at least Rs 25,000 to farm labourers.
