Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, stated on Monday that the final report on the south-west monsoon forecast will be released by the India Meteorological Department later this month. This report will show whether or not the El Nino weather pattern will have an impact on the June-September rains, resulting in insufficient precipitation.
Speaking to reporters in Amravati, in the Vidarbha area, he said that the state administration has already begun making plans to deal with any crisis that may arise from a potential lack of monsoon rains.
Due to the conclusion of La Nina conditions and the possibility for El Nino to take hold, India is expected to have below-average monsoon rainfall this year, with a 20% probability of drought, according to a private forecasting firm earlier in the day.
According to the private forecaster, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra may see a lack of rain in the northern and central regions of the nation during the main monsoon months of July and August.
“The IMD has 5 to 6 models to analyse weather data,” Fadnavis remarked. Several of them suggest that the approaching monsoon season’s rainfall in the state may be negatively impacted by the El Nino weather trend. After April 21, the IMD will make its final prediction public. The monsoon report will dispel any uncertainties.
El Nino, characterised by the warming of the Pacific Ocean waters close to South America, is linked to a weakening of the monsoon winds and less rainfall in India.
Fadnavis, who is in charge of finance and planning, said, “The state government has already begun preparations expecting a deficit in precipitation,” when asked about administrative arrangements to deal with any unfavourable circumstances. We are being ready for the circumstance by planning what steps to take if there is a water scarcity.
According to the deputy chief minister, the government has established a committee to look into these problems. When asked whether farmers who routinely repay their crop loans received help from the government in the amount of Rs 50,000, Fadnavis said, “15.5 lakh farmers have sought for this one-time benefit of Rs 50,000. Among them, 12.5 lakh applicants’ document validation is complete.
“The review of documents for a further 1 lakh farmers is virtually complete. Nevertheless, the remaining farmers haven’t provided all the necessary information, which is holding up payments.