Kerala stares at severe drought as state records 44 %deficit in rainfall

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala, the gateway of the monsoon in the country, is staring at the worst drought of the past few years as the state has recorded a 44 per cent deficit in seasonal rainfall, officials said here on Friday.

For the period June 1 to August 16, Kerala received only 877.2 mm of rainfall whereas normal rainfall figures recorded for the Southwest Monsoon in the state are 1,572.1 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department.

This translates to a 44 per cent deficit this season. Rainfall data of the seven days from August 10 to 16 illustrate how acute the situation is.

There has been a deficit of 94 per cent during that period, as rainfall recorded was a mere 6.5 mm compared to normal rainfall of 109.6 mm. Idukki, where Kerala's biggest hydroelectric power project is located, has recorded the lowest rainfall this season up to August 16, with a deficit of 60 per cent.

"The rainfall forecast for the next two weeks also shows a below-normal pattern," IMD Kerala Director K Santhosh told PTI, adding that it's possible at present to predict whether the remaining monsoon period would make up for the deficit.

Meanwhile, Idukki Reservoir, which is the backbone of Kerala's electricity production, has record low water levels.

"The water level in Idukki at present is just 31.13 per cent (of capacity) against 80.2 per cent during the corresponding time last year," Sajeesh, Technical Assistant to the Director, Generation (Civil), Kerala Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) said.

With no fresh inflows, power generation at the Idukki hydroelectric station would be affected. In the second largest project at Pathanamthitta's Kakki, the water level is 35.6 per cent, way below the 62.42 per cent level during August last year.

At Wayanad's Banasura Sagar reservoir, the thirdlargest power generation plant in the state, the water level is better at 61 per cent, but it is much below the 92 per cent level recorded in August last year.

Drinking water reservoirs in the state are also in a similar state. Supply to the capital city, Thiruvananthapuram, will be hit if rainfall is deficient during the upcoming Northeast Monsoon as well.

"At present, we have drinking water available for the next 100 days at the Peppara Dam. If we do not get Northeast Monsoon rains, then things are going to be difficult," Soumya S, Assistant Engineer, Dams, Kerala Water Authority, Thiruvananthapuram, told PTI.

The situation is precarious in other parts of the state as well. When Idukki recorded the lowest rainfall, it affected the water level in all the rivers that flow into the Arabian Sea from the central parts of Kerala.

Farmers in the state, especially those from districts such as Idukki and Palakkad, are bracing for complete crop loss this year. "We have had only two or three rains since January.

This is the time to sow seeds, but there is no water. We are also going to face a severe drinking water crisis. The agriculture office gave us vegetable seeds to grow for the Onam market, but we could not do anything," S P Venkatachalam, a tribal farmer from Santhanpara, Idukki told PTI. (PTI)