Telangana State receives total 1,102 mm rainfall during monsoon

Telangana recorded the highest Southwest Monsoon rainfall over the last three decades. The State received 1,102 mm rainfall as on Wednesday which is 45 per cent more than normal rainfall of 759.6 mm during this year’s monsoon, commencing from June 1.

The second highest rainfall of 912.2 mm during the southwest monsoon season was recorded in 2016-17. Over the last one decade since 2009, the Southwest Monsoon rainfall in the State has been above normal for six times — in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2019 and this year. The State received six per cent above normal rainfall last year and two per cent below normal in 2018.

Warangal Urban district received 130 per cent excess rainfall, followed by Wanaparthy with 126 per cent and Mahabubabad with 106 per cent



excess rainfall. Nirmal is the only district to have received 10 per cent less than normal rainfall.

Apart from climatic changes, the increased rainfall is largely being attributed to an increased green cover in the State. Due to novel schemes such as Haritha Haaram by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, the green cover is estimated to have increased by around 5-6 per cent since the State formation. As per the biannual forest survey conducted by Forests Survey of India, the forest cover in Telangana has increased by 3.7 per cent from 40.84 49.05 lakh acres in 2014-15 to 49.05 lakh acres in 2019. The State government has planted over 207 crore saplings under Haritha Haaram programme inside and outside forests since its launch.