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Dehradun. Uttarakhand, known for rain and snowfall in winter, remained completely dry this time in the month of December. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, no rain or snowfall was recorded in any district of the state during December. Due to lack of snowfall, the hill peaks looked black and the tourists who came for tourism also returned disappointed. The Meteorological Department says that according to the current system, western disturbances may remain weak in January also. There is no concrete possibility of rain or snowfall for the next seven days.
According to meteorological department data, there was an overall rainfall deficit of 24 per cent in the state between October and December after the monsoon. In December, the percentage of rainfall in all the districts including Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, Almora, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh was zero, whereas normally the average rainfall in this month is around 17.5 mm. Talking about previous years, there was 99 percent rainfall in 2022, 92 percent in 2018, 82 percent in 2016, 75 percent in 2023 and 14 percent in 2021. Complete absence of rain or snowfall was not observed in the entire state in any year. In contrast, 89 percent more rainfall was recorded in December 2024, reflecting the strong year-to-year variability in winter rainfall.
No rain or snowfall in December after 10 years
According to the Meteorological Department, this is the first time in the last several decades that there was no rain or snowfall in the entire state during December. Before this, every year winter rain or snowfall has been recorded in some part or the other. CS Tomar, director of the Dehradun-based Regional Meteorological Center, said that the main reason for the drought in December is the weak western disturbance. Usually four to five western disturbances bring winter rain and snowfall to Uttarakhand, but this time despite the formation of the system, their impact remained weak in the state and they moved towards the south. According to CS Tomar, the effect of weak western disturbance was also seen in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh. These states have also recorded less rainfall and snowfall compared to previous years.
Crisis on Rabi and apple crops
There is a possibility that the Rabi and apple crops of the state will be affected due to lack of rain and snowfall. Snowfall is considered most favorable for low temperature crops, but this time its absence can affect the growth of crops.
Warning of water crisis in hilly areas
Manish Mehta, scientist at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, says that due to lack of rain and snowfall, the water crisis in the hilly areas may deepen in the future. Because due to lack of snowfall the glaciers will melt faster. Actually, snowfall acts as a blanket on the glaciers and prevents them from melting rapidly. Due to rapid melting of glaciers, ground water recharge in the higher Himalayan regions will be affected and there may be water shortage.
Direct impact on farming and horticulture
Vegetables are cultivated in about 57,716 hectares in the state. Crops of wheat, tomato, chilli, potato, pea, cabbage and mustard are ready in December, but due to lack of rain the effect of frost has increased. At the same time, flower cultivation being done in 1,650 hectares is also in danger. According to the Horticulture Department, December is the flowering time of Rabi crops and in the absence of rain, the yield can fall by up to 40 percent.
