Monsoon remained illusive in the North-East on Tuesday despite rainfall in scattered places across the region. Parts of Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam have witnessed moderate to light showers during the last couple of days. Rainfall in Cherrapunjee in the last 24 hours was recorded as 286 mm, Shillong 76 mm, Agartala 71 mm, Itanagar 34 mm and Guwahati 8 mm, Meteorological Department sources said. A secondary trough was created in the Bihar Arunachal region under the influence of a western disturbance, resulting in rainfall since June 28. This is likely to continue for the next few days. The primary monsoon trough still lies in the Rajasthan-Bay of Bengal area. The North-East will receive rains only when it comes near the Himalayas, they said.

Till June 24 this season, the entire region has witnessed a severe deficit of rainfall (Arunachal Pradesh 43 per cent deficit, Assam-Meghalaya 53 per cent and the rest of the region around 54 per cent). Met officials are pinning hopes on the break-monsoon period of July and August when monsoon activity increases in North-East and decreases in other parts of the country. If the region doesn't have abundant rainfall during this period, then it will not be able to make up for the deficit and a drought-like situation might follow, the sources said.

Karnataka

Despite the early onset of monsoon in Karnataka, the state has suffered a 27 per cent deficit till date due, an official of the Meteorolgical centre here said. "The situation is still bad with coastal Karnataka, which receives maximum rainfall, suffering 42 per cent deficit till date," Director Meteorological Centre, A Muthuchami, told reporters here tonight. "We expect the monsoon to become widespread throughout the state in the next four days. Till then, it will continue to be subdued", he said.

... contd.