Scanty rainfall hits seasonal paddy cultivation in villages
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The State's capital city, on Thursday, recorded a maximum temperature of 37 degree Celsius which was almost 5 degrees above the normal temperature. It was one of the hottest days in the weather history of the city.
"The record temperature in Guwahati was 40.3 degree Celsius on May 1, 1960. The last highest temperature was on August 5, 2020 when the city recorded a maximum of 38.6 degree Celsius which was a 6-degree departure from the normal temperature. In 2021, the city recorded 37.9 degree Celsius on May 24 which was almost 6 degree above the normal temperature. Thursday (August 5, 2021) will be considered one of the hottest days," an official at the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Borjhar said.
The official said the temperature in Guwahati was kept on rising since Sunday (August 1, 2021) due to long rainless condition. He said lack of breeze and monsoon clouds in the sky (which normally bring down the temperature) had made the atmospheric condition in the city very hot and humid on Thursday.
The other towns in the State namely Tezpur, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur and Jorhat have also experienced above normal temperature.
On the other hand, the continuous spell of scanty rainfall in the State has hit the farmers hard in their seasonal paddy cultivation. In Assam, major portion of the land is rain fed and thus sowing and cultivation happens primarily during the Southwest monsoon spell. The Southwest monsoon spell brings rainfall during the June-September period.
"Crops that are sown during the southwest monsoon season are called kharif or monsoon crops. These crops are sown at the beginning of the season around end May to early June and are harvested post the monsoon rains beginning October.But the State has experienced around 700 mm rainfall between June 1 and July 25 this year. The total quantum of rainfall during this period is 16% below the normal level and thus kharif paddy cultivation has been hit," a source in the Agriculture department said. He said rice, maize, pulses such as urad, moong dal and millets are among the key kharif crops.
The RMC has predicted partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershower in Guwahati on Friday.
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