Rains have taken a break in central India and southern peninsula over the last one week, with the regions witnessing negative precipitation compared to their normal limit, the IMD data suggests

New Delhi: Rains have taken a break in central India and southern peninsula over the last one week, with the regions witnessing negative precipitation compared to their normal limit, the IMD data suggests. Both the regions have recorded eight per cent less rains than what they usually get by this time of the season. The overall rainfall received by the country too has dropped by a per cent. The east and the northeast region has also recorded deficiency of five per cent. Kerala, south interior Karnataka, the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra and the Anadaman and Nicobar islands have posted "deficient" rainfall. However, the northwest India, which cover the Gangetic belt and includes states like Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, have been receiving surplus rainfall at nearly 29 per cent more than its normal limit. This region had witnessed deficient rainfall for the last three consecutive years. States like Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi have been witnessing "largely excess" rainfall. However, the coming week is expected to bring respite with good rainfall, said M Mohapatra, Additional Director General of the India Meteorological Department. He said there is a formation of a low pressure area over east Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar that will give a good amount of rainfall to these two states. "Rainfall is also expected to increase in the next two- three days over the southern peninsula as a cyclonic circulation is expected to take shape in the Bay of Bengal after three days," Mohapatra said. PTI PR AAR