-The Hindu The Hindu decided to find out whether these forecasts have worked in the past. Answer (based on 10 years of forecast data): not very accurately Chennai: Following the India Meteorological Department’s forecast of an ‘above normal’ Monsoon of 106 per cent of the Long Period Average (LPA) on Tuesday, The Hindu decided to find out whether these forecasts have worked in the past. Answer (based on 10 years of forecast...
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Why sugarcane can’t be blamed for Marathwada drought woes -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express Every crisis produces its fall guy. This time, it is sugarcane that’s bearing the brunt of the blame for drought, especially in Maharashtra’s worst-affected Marathwada region. Sugarcane, no doubt, requires 2,100-2,200 mm of water, more than the 1,400 mm or so for paddy, 900 mm for cotton, 600 mm for jowar (sorghum) and arhar (pigeon-pea), 550 mm for wheat, and under 500 mm for soyabean and chana (chickpea). But then,...
More »Water levels in 91 major reservoirs alarmingly low -Samarth Bansal
-The Hindu Central Water Commission data on live storage show that only 23 per cent of capacity is available, and this is well below last year. Water levels in major reservoirs of the country are alarmingly low, weekly data released by Central Water Commission (CWC) shows. CWC, a technical organisation under the aegis of Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, monitors live storage status of 91 major reservoirs in the...
More »Rebooting India’s agricultural policy -Himanshu
-Livemint.com The efforts of the government in revamping the crop insurance and land titling schemes are long-term solutions which will take time to bear results The agricultural sector is facing its worst moment in the last three decades. The last time India saw such distress caused by back-to-back deficient rains was during the drought of 1986-87 and 1987-88. The severity of the situation is evident from the stories of migration and...
More »Historic data suggests Monsoon may be delayed by ten days -Vinson Kurian
-The Hindu Business Line Such delays take place after an El Nino year, which 2015 was Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) may have forecast an above-normal Monsoon this year, but it is highly probable that its onset over Kerala will be delayed by more than 10 days. There is a lot of physical evidence in support of such a delay this year, says PV Joseph, eminent Monsoon researcher and former IMD...
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