Rain to stay: IMD predicts above-normal rainfall in August and September

Be it Delhi or Himachal Pradesh, half of India is already reeling under heavy rainfall with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) now saying that the country will record above-normal downpours in August and September.

On Thursday, the weather department said the rainfall over the entire country during the second half of the southwest monsoon season will be at 106 per cent of the long-period average (LPA). The term long-period average is used to describe average temperature or precipitation over several decades, which helps identify long-term climate trends and variability.

Currently, neutral El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions are present in the equatorial Pacific region. However, recent forecasts from the Monsoon Mission Climate Forecasting System (MMCFS) and other climate models indicate that La Niña is expected to develop during the latter part of the monsoon season, around the end of August.

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The country has so far recorded 453.8 mm against the normal of 445.8 mm since June 1, a surplus of two per cent, owing to a wetter-than-normal July after a drier June.

The wrath of rain

Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Kerala have been making news after heavy rainfalls wreaked havoc in the states.

In Kerala’s Wayanad, over 200 people have died after rains triggered landslides, sweeping away houses and uprooting trees. The Army and NDRF teams have been conducting search and rescue operations for three days straight after several people have reportedly gone missing.

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The national capital experienced severe rains on Wednesday evening leading to the death of five and leaving the city deluged. Incessant rains throughout the night in Delhi caused several areas to record 100 mm of rainfall.

Nearly 40 were killed and about 50 missing following several incidents of cloudburst in Himachal Pradesh where rains washed away many houses, bridges and roads, officials said on Thursday. The state emergency operation centre said the cloudbursts took place in Nirmand, Sainj and Malana areas in Kullu, Padhar in Mandi and Rampur in Shimla districts.

Similarly in Uttarakhand, a cloudburst killed 10 people in Kedarnath while several houses washed away, roads flooded and rivers swelled up due to overnight rains.

Bill to amend Disaster Management Act tabled in Parl

The Disaster Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, introduced in Lok Sabha on Thursday, aims to strengthen the efficient working of the national and state disaster management authorities besides bringing more clarity and convergence among stakeholders working in the field of disaster management.

The bill also aims to provide statutory status to certain pre-Act organisations like the National Crisis Management Committee and the High Level Committee.

The bill also provides to bring more clarity and convergence in the roles of authorities and committees working in the field of disaster management and provides statutory status to certain pre-Act organisations like the National Crisis Management Committee and the High Level Committee.

It will provide for the creation of a disaster database at the national and state levels, to make provision for the constitution of an “Urban Disaster Management Authority” for the state capital and large cities having municipal corporations and make provision for the constitution of “State Disaster Response Force” by the state government.

With inputs from PTI