Monsoon 2024: Above-normal rainfall brings relief and challenges in Telangana

Several districts this year experienced excess rainfall, with considerable deviations from the normal

Hyderabad: The monsoon season in Telangana (from June to September 2024) has been notably eventful, with the State receiving a cumulative rainfall of 961.6 mm.

This figure is 31 per cent above the normal rainfall of 732.6 mm for this period, marking a significant deviation from the average.

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Several districts experienced excess rainfall, with considerable deviations from the normal. Narayanpet district received 913.4 mm against a normal of 466.1 mm, showing a 96 per cent increase.

In comparison to the previous year, the 2024 monsoon season has seen a substantial increase in rainfall. Last year, the State received 851.6 mm of rainfall during the same period, which was already above the normal.

This year’s rainfall surpasses last year’s by 13 per cent, highlighting a trend of increasing monsoon activity.

The above-normal rainfall has been beneficial for the agricultural sector, particularly for paddy cultivation, which relied heavily on monsoon rains.

The increased water availability assured with all the major reservoirs filled to the brim, has positively impacted crop yields and water resources.

The abundant rainfall during the 2024 monsoon season has brought both relief and challenges to Telangana.

While it gave a big boost to the farm sector marking an end to a year of crop holidays, it also resulted in heavy losses to agriculture and infrastructure pertaining to key departments including irrigation, road communications and power transmission.

The September deluge that the State witnessed called for redefining the manuals guiding the operation of flood management protocol and  key irrigation sources.

As many as six districts witnessed unprecedented floods resulting in extensive ravage. Pristine forests in State such as Tadwai reserve have seen extensive damage with over 70,000 tree various species crashing to the ground in the impact of a strange tornado kind of phenomenon that was accompanied by heavy rains in the first week of September.

This phenomenon, known as ‘windthrow’, triggered strong gales, the force of which exceeded the stability of the tree’s root system and trunk, thus causing unprecedented damage to the forest cover in the pocket.

The State experienced significant variations in rainfall across its districts. Five districts- Mahabubnagar, Jogulamba Gadwal, Wanaparthy, Nagarkurnool and Narayanpet received rainfall in large excess with a deviation of 60 per cent or above normal.

The districts of Nirmal, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Jayashankar Bhupaapally, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, Warangal, Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla, Sangareddy, Medak, Siddipet, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Hyderabad, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Nalgonda, Suryapet, Khammam and Mulugu have received rainfall in excess with a deviation ranging from 20 per cent to 59 per cent above normal.

The districts of Adilabad, Kumram Bheem, Mancherial, Peddapalli, Hanamkonda, Kamareddy, Jangaon and Yadadri Bhongir received normal rainfall with deviation that varied from -19 percent to 19 per cent of normal