Rain deficit 31%, next two weeks crucial India’s Got Only 119mm Against Normal 172mm

New Delhi: The monsoon entered its second month carrying a big rain deficit of 31% as of July 1, but Met officials are hopeful of good rains in July and August. The next couple of weeks could be crucial as the monsoon's performance in this period could dictate whether the government would need to respond with special measures.      At the end of June, only the east and northeast region had recorded normal rainfall with a deficiency of just 5%.  The deficiency in north India (including UP) was 69%, central India (including Gujarat and Maharashtra) 39% and south India 29%.      India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, who till last week were confident that the monsoon would pick up and end the month with a deficiency of only around 15%, said a recovery is expected within days as favourable conditions develop in both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.      The monsoon line, currently passing through Veraval, Malegaon, Jabalpur, Varanasi and Gorakhpur, has not moved for around a week. "We are expecting a recovery this week. By around July 4-5, monsoon rain should reach more parts of affected UP and some parts of northwest India," said an IMD official.  Water cut likely for 1 more week T he BMC is likely to continue the 10% water cut for another week as the catchment area where the four lakes providing water to the city are located have not received adequate rainfall. The civic body has said it currently has enough stock to last till July 15. P 3 'Tropical storms behind poor rains' W hile June accounts for 18% of the season's rainfall, the official said it was difficult to say whether rains in July and August would make up for the deficit, especially since it's likely that September could see depressed rains.      Rains have been deficient or scanty over 83% of the country, including the granary states of northwest India which is reeling under a severe heatwave. By July 1, the country had received just 119.3mm rain as against the normal of 172mm since the monsoon's onset.      D Sivananda Pai, IMD's lead monsoon forecaster, blamed a number of tropical storms in the South China Sea/Pacific Ocean for weakening the monsoon in June. "While one or two storms are usual, this June we had threefour tropical storms in that area which dragged away the monsoon's energy and shifted it eastwards. As a result, the Northeast got good rains while the rest of India suffered," Pai told TOI.      "There were some factors that were not accounted for by the Met department when it revised its monsoon estimate on June 22. In fact, the chances of a good revival in the coming week are also not too strong but after that, things should improve significantly," said a monsoon expert. "The situation is not alarming yet," he added, "as often the monsoon has been normal despite poor rains in June. If the deficiency continues to remain around 20% after mid-July, the government should start getting worried." Going by the normal dates of onset, the monsoon should have ideally covered Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, most parts of Gujarat and some parts of Punjab and Rajasthan by July 1. The Met department has predicted 98% rainfall for July and 96% for August. IMD had recently downgraded forecast of a 99% monsoon to 96% when a El Nino development was clear.      With the monsoon having covered only a minuscule portion of Uttar Pradesh, officials have refused to predict an onset date for Delhi. "Once the monsoon touches Lucknow, the situation for Delhi will become clear. Even now it is too early to predict a date. However, we are expecting rainfall over the region by the end of the coming week," added the official.      Agricultural experts say there is still time for farmers to sow the kharif crop. In the dry Vidarbha region, six more Maharashtra farmers committed suicide in the last 72 hours, taking this year's toll to 422, an NGO said on Sunday. Delayed rains have caused panic among Vidarbha farmers who had sown seeds early in June as there was heavy downpour for two days. A agriculture expert in Patna said the dry spell had yet not affected the standing seedlings of paddy, which is normally sown in central and north-western Bihar.

DON’T SIT STILL ‘Fidgeting can help you live longer’

London: People who keep fidgeting could live longer than those who sit still for long periods, a new study has revealed.      Spending too much time on sedentary activities like working at a computer or watching television can shorten a person's lifespan and raise  the risk of conditions like heart disease and stroke.      But breaking up your "sitting time" throughout the day with simple activities like walking or stretching your legs — even for a minute or two at a time — could counteract the harmful effects of being a couch potato and lead to better overall health, researchers said.      "People are watching television for up to four hours a day and spending 60%-70% of their time being sedentary, and that is because of our lifestyle and occupations," said Dr Wilby Williamson, an NHS expert in sports medicine.      "Reducing our sitting time makes us better at breaking sugars and fats down, which can help reduce our risk of metabolic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease," Williamson was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.Studies have shown that the amount of time we spend sitting down is associated with reduced lifespan and a higher incidence of heart disease and stroke.      Williamson said, "The risk factors for cardiovascular disease and longevity start to increase above two hours of television watching per day. If you can make your TV watching or screen time more active that could be beneficial. Also, make sure your are not sitting for long chunks of time. Some studies show there is a beneficial effect of breaking it up every 20 to 30 minutes."      Although doctors still recommend that people get more than 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week to keep healthy, they said less strenuous activities could also be of benefit.      These can include things that don't feel like exercise such as standing up and bouncing on your heels, wiggling your hips to some music or taking a brief stroll around the house during a television advertisement break. PTI