Monsoon in full flow, makes up for deficit in 6 northeast states

GUWAHATI: The last leg of monsoon rain that has lashed vast parts of northeast in the last couple of weeks has helped six of the seven NE states to get rid of rainfall deficit this season.
Except for Manipur, rest of the states are now almost within the normal rainfall range. Rainfall shortage at 19% or below is considered deficit by IMD.
Three NE states - Manipur (-45), Nagaland (-20) and Tripura (-27) - had been facing the highest rain deficit in the region and recorded below-normal rainfall till August 31.However, good rainfall activity has recorded remarkable recovery in Tripura, though the state is still at the borderline with a 21% rain shortfall.
Met officials said Tripura is likely to enter the normal-range category as more rain is predicted in the northeast this week.
Nagaland has entered the normal-rainfall range category though at 18% deficit as on Wednesday.
Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura have made the highest recovery from the deficit rainfall by experiencing normal and excess rainfall respectively, measuring 7% and 36% above normal, since September 1. This has brought Tripura close to the normal range of rainfall since the start of the monsoon season on June1, leaving Manipur to be the only state in the northeast which is still experiencing considerable deficit rainfall this season with 48% below normal.
Met officials said southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal have carried a good amount of moisture to northeast from early September, bringing the much-needed relief. "More rain is on the cards this week in the entire NE due to changing position of the monsoon trough passing through the region, which has shifted towards the north and moisture has concentrated over the region," an IMD official told TOI.
According to the last forecast by IMD in August, the monsoon is likely to be below normal by the time the season ends on September 30.
At 5% below normal, Assam and Meghalaya have experienced better rainfall than any other NE states this season. Despite lagging behind by 17% below normal till August 31, Arunachal, too, has brought down the deficit to 14% on Wednesday.