Kerala stares at severe drought as state records 44 per cent deficit in rainfall this monsoon season

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Kerala received only 877.2 mm of rainfall whereas normal rainfall figures recorded for the Southwest Monsoon in the state are 1,572.1 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department. This translates to a 44 per cent deficit this season. Rainfall data of the seven days from August 10 to 16 illustrate how acute the situation is.

There has been a deficit of 94 per cent during that period, as rainfall recorded was a mere 6.5 mm compared to normal rainfall of 109.6 mm. Idukki, where Kerala's biggest hydroelectric power project is located, has recorded the lowest rainfall this season up to August 16, with a deficit of 60 per cent. «The rainfall forecast for the next two weeks also shows a below-normal pattern,» IMD Kerala Director K Santhosh told PTI, adding that it's possible at present to predict whether the remaining monsoon period would make up for the deficit.

Meanwhile, Idukki Reservoir, which is the backbone of Kerala's electricity production, has record low water levels. «The water level in Idukki at present is just 31.13 per cent (of capacity) against 80.2 per cent during the corresponding time last year,» Sajeesh, Technical Assistant to the Director, Generation (Civil), Kerala Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) said. With no fresh inflows, power generation at the Idukki hydroelectric station would be affected.

In the second-largest power project at Pathanamthitta's Kakki, the water level is 35.6 per cent, way below the 62.42 per cent level during August last year. At Wayanad's Banasura Sagar reservoir, the third-largest power generation plant in the state, the water level is better at 61 per cent, but it is much below the 92 per cent level recorded in August last year. Drinking water reservoirs in the state are