Maharashtra likely to witness slight rainfall before Diwali predicts IMD officials

Ahead of the upcoming Diwali festival Pune city which falls under the central Maharashtra division is likely to experience light rainfall around November 7 and 8. However, as of now, there is no forecast for rainfall during Diwali festival days, said an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune.In Pune, there is very little chance of light rainfall during pre-Diwali period on November 7 and 8. During the Diwali festival, there is no chance of rainfall, said Anupam Kashyapi, head, weather and forecasting division, IMD, Pune.As per the latest IMD-GFS (global forecast system) model, there are chances of moderate rain thunderstorms in Pune on November 8 and 9, said Vineet Kumar, a former scientist from IITM, Pune.On November 1, after the opposition clamour in the past few weeks, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided to declare a drought in 40 talukas which recorded low rains in the first phase of the Kharif season.

The CM and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis also directed that a cabinet sub-committee headed by the Relief & Rehabilitation Minister should take the decision on priority to declare a ‘drought-like’ situation in the other talukas in the state with scanty rain and to provide the appropriate relief measures there.The Relief & Rehabilitation Department also informed the status of the drought declaration in the review of the crop water situation taking into account the provisions of the Drought Management Code, 2016.

A delegation of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi had called on Governor Ramesh Bais on Monday and submitted a memorandum listing various issues including the drought-like situation confronting large parts of the state that had led to distress in farmlands.This year, the state had a rainfall shortage of 13.4 percent of the total annual average and now the Rabi season sowing has gradually begun, with around 12 percent of the work completed so far, according to the Agriculture Department.