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�Despite second wave of flood, monsoon rainfall was not excessive�

By Ajit Patowary

GUWAHATI, July 25 - Experts here link this year�s floods in the State to intense heavy showers concentrated within a brief period of time.

Because, even though the State witnessed the second wave of flood this year and another wave of flood is in the making with the beginning of another spell of heavy rainfall activities over some parts of the State and some of its neighbouring states, the amount of monsoon rainfall the State received so far, since the beginning of the season this year, was not excessive.

It is also observed that even the rainfall amounts received by its neighbours, whose volume of storm water discharge is always a matter of concern for the State, are also not in the scale of excess.

When enquired about the rainfall amounts received by the NE region during the current monsoon season so far, the Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC), Guwahati told this newspaper here today that the rainfall received by Assam during the season was 794 mm, against its normal of 792.3 mm. Arunachal Pradesh received a total amount of 884.7 mm, against its normal of 924 mm, with the departure being four per cent below its normal.

Meghalaya recorded a rainfall amount of 1,548 mm against the normal of 1,578.7 mm, with the departure being two per cent below its normal for the period. Manipur recorded the lowest amount of rainfall during the season so far with an actual amount of 285.1 mm of rainfall against its normal of 731.3 mm, thus having a 61 per cent below the normal departure. It was followed by Nagaland with an actual rainfall amount of 394.9 mm against the normal of 559.3 mm. Its departure thus stood to be 29 per cent below the normal for the period.

Mizoram, however, recorded an actual rainfall of 855.3mm against the normal of 781 mm. Its departure in this respect thus stood at 10 per cent above the normal.

This, however, does not reflect the ground reality, which led to a massive flood in Assam taking a toll of at least 75 human lives and affecting nearly 60 lakh of its people. The reason for this is to be searched in the concentration of rainfall activities within a brief period, said Dr Rahul Mahanta, Coordinator of the Inter-disciplinary Climate Research Centre (ICRC), Cotton University. He also linked the development to the phenomenon of climate change warning that global warming will lead to more such floods in Assam and other vulnerable parts of the globe. He was talking to this newspaper.

Meanwhile, heavy rainfall activities have resumed over the NE region since July 22. The RMC today said that heavy rainfall activities are occurring at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. It also maintained that moderate rain or thundershowers are occurring at many places over the region.

Rainfall activities at many places over the region are very likely to continue till July 30, even though there may be a break in the heavy rainfall activities on July 27, 28 and 29 in many parts of the region, said the RMC, adding, till August 2, there will be little change in the weather situation of the region.

Sources in the RMC maintained that On July 29, there is maximum chance of heavy to very heavy rainfall occurring at isolated places over Assam-Meghalaya Meteorological Sub-division.

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