Ahmedabad: In the three monsoon months, only some days — 11 to be precise — stood out for Ahmedabad. It was during these days in July and Sept that the city recorded 83% of the season’s annual rainfall. The formal onset of the southwest monsoon in Ahmedabad was on July 1, with the overall onset in Gujarat delayed by a week. Oct 3 marked its withdrawal, again later than its normal day. The rainfall pattern during the season remained highly erratic for the entire state.For Ahmedabad, the highlight was July 23, a day when pounding rain gave the city 296mm in 24 hours. The day’s rainfall alone accounted for 35% or one-third of the season’s total. The late rain in Sept remained a saving factor for the city and state. At the month’s beginning, Ahmedabad’s rainfall tally was at 75.8%, which had improved to 107.3% by Oct 1.“For the past few years, an erratic rainfall pattern has been seen in several parts of the country, where sporadic very high rainfall days account for majority of the tally. Not only does this lead to loss of lives and cause urban floods, it also fails to recharge groundwater due to surface runoff,” a meteorologist said.Across Gujarat, the average annual seasonal rainfall is recorded at 89% or 11% less than normal. This year, regional disparities were very high. On one hand, south Gujarat districts such as Navsari and Valsad recorded over 30% excess rainfall; on the other, parts of Saurashtra such as Devbhumi Dwarka and Porbandar have a deficiency of 60% or more.According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, out of Gujarat’s 33 districts, two were highly deficient, 11 were deficient, 15 recorded normal rain, while five recorded excess rain.The conditions have prompted state govt to extend the SAUNI Yojana to parts of Saurashtra in Sept to save crops. Recently, Sardar Sarovar dam achieved 100% capacity, giving some respite to administrators in a year marked by El Nino’s impact and weaker monsoon systems.
