After 14 yrs, State revises ‘average’ rainfall for distts
15 May 2020 08:22:53
By Kartik Lokhande :
Come monsoon this year and the comparison of actual rainfall with average rainfall will witness a change in Maharashtra. For, State Government has revised the annual average rainfall figures for major cities, tehsils, and districts in Maharashtra. The revision has been carried out after a gap of 14 years. This is an important development as assessment of drought will be based upon comparison of actual rainfall with the revised average rainfall. Revenue and Forest Department of State Government has issued the chart of district-wise, tehsil-wise, and month-wise ‘average rainfall’, recently on May 12.
As far as Vidarbha region is concerned, Gadchiroli district has the highest revised average rainfall of 1397.40 mm, and Buldhana district has the lowest revised average rainfall of 760.40 mm as per the new guidelines. If one goes tehsil-wise, Shegaon tehsil in Buldhana district has the lowest revised average rainfall of 682.49 mm, and Bhamragarh in Gadchiroli has the highest revised average rainfall of 1,624 mm. As far as Nagpur district is concerned, the revised average rainfall for Nagpur city is 1,127.63 mm. Among 13 tehsils in the district, Katol has the lowest average rainfall of 902.93 mm and Bhiwapur has the highest average rainfall of 1,168 mm as per the revised average.
Every year, rainfall reports of the State Government and six Divisional Commissionerates across Maharashtra are based on average rainfall for various districts and tehsils. So far, the average rainfall for various districts and tehsils was considered as per the 14-year-old Government Resolution dated March 18, 2006. However, now, Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) Pune has re-calculated annual average rainfall for various districts and tehsils in Maharashtra based on the daily rainfall between 1961 and 2010, that is, a period of 50 years.
Accordingly, the month-wise, district-wise, and tehsil-wise rainfall average has been revised for the entire State. Agriculture Commissioner had sent a letter to the State Government in this regard on April 16, 2020. On May 12, Revenue and Forest Department of Maharashtra Government issued the guidelines detailing the revised annual average rainfall for districts and tehsils in the State. Henceforth, the revised average rainfall figures will be considered in rainfall charts to be prepared in the monsoon season starting this year.