GUWAHATI: Continual downpour in the past two days has brought some hope for farmers who have been worried to death about rainfall deficiency in the state. Met officials said the rain has considerably narrowed the deficiency gap from earlier (minus) 34 per cent to (minus) 29 per cent on Wednesday. From June 1 to July 29, Assam received 573.8 mm rainfall against the normal 812.9 mm.
"Two days' rainfall has brought some hope for bridging the deficiency gap. Although there are two more months to go before the monsoons are over, August will be the crucial month. If rains continue to favour us in August, the deficiency is likely to be more narrowed," said D K Handique, director of Regional Meteorology Centre here.
Most areas which were earlier running dry have been completely transformed. Those in lower Assam districts are hoping to resume winter paddy cultivation.
After Wednesday's showers, farmers in Boko under Kamrup (rural) were busy ploughing their watered agricultural fields, a scene which was rare even about a week earlier.
"There is sufficient water in the fields after a long time. We except the rains to continue till we finish up with our paddy cultivation," a farmer in Boko said.
Even though some northeastern states have shown thinning deficiency percentage, Nagaland and Manipur seem to be an exception. The Regional Meteorology Centre in Manipur registered rainfall deficiency of (minus) 68 per cent and Nagaland recorded (minus) 64 per cent rainfall deficiency between June 1 and July 29.
Tripura is the only northeastern state where the rainfall has reached normal, recording (minus) 17 per cent (normal rainfall is plus/minus 19 per cent). In Meghalaya, the deficiency has dropped to (minus) 54 per cent on July 29 from (minus) 57, while in Mizoram, the deficiency level continues to hover around (minus) 30 per cent.