Showers for fourth day in a row
Paddy experts have warned that the continuation of intense rains till the end of the month may cause dislocation and fungal diseases in the standing crop.
The city was lashed by a strong spell of rain on Friday afternoon, with the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) observatory recording 31.2mm of rain.
The city has been receiving rain since the past four days. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the city recorded 16mm rain, 2.2mm, and 37mm rain, respectively.
The normal for the month is 106mm rain. Even before completing its first week, the month, so far, has seen 86.4mm rain.
Sompal Singh from department of agricultural meteorology, PAU, believes that this month will see above normal rain. “After a couple of more showers we may see the amount cross the normal range,” he said.
In August, the city recorded 239.9mm rain against a normal of 190.3mm. Contrastingly, the city had reeled under the hottest and driest July in five years, with a mere 134.2mm rain against a normal of 220mm.
Paddy experts have warned that the continuation of intense rains till the end of the month may cause dislocation and fungal diseases in the standing crops. However, they have cautioned against any alarm as yet.
PAU paddy expert Buta Singh Dhillon said, “At present, we haven’t encountered any problem with the rain in the last few days. A little rain every few days is not a problem. However, if the intensity and consistency of the rain increase, it may lead to discolouration and fungal diseases.”