Sindh remained Pakistan’s driest province during this year’s monsoon season, according to data released by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The province received 50.8 percent less rainfall than normal. Sindh rainfall totalled only 71.1mm during the three-month monsoon season, the lowest of any province. Karachi recorded an exceptional 92 percent rainfall deficit from July to September. That figure stood out even within the driest province in the country.
Pakistan as a whole received 120.5 millimetres of rainfall between July 1 and September 30. That total was 19.3 percent below the normal level for the period. Meanwhile, Balochistan also recorded significantly below-normal rainfall, with a deficit of 33.7 percent. Azad Jammu and Kashmir followed at 18.4 percent, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at 16.3 percent and Punjab at 3.8 percent below normal. However, Gilgit-Baltistan was the only region in the country to receive above-normal rainfall, with precipitation 4.6 percent higher than usual.
The PMD said the formation and effects of El Nino were major meteorological factors behind this year’s below-normal monsoon rainfall. Moreover, El Nino can alter weather systems and weaken monsoon activity across South Asia. The department also said monsoon rainfall was significantly below normal in Pakistan’s neighbouring countries this year. Therefore, the dry spell was not limited to Pakistan alone.
The rainfall deficit has raised concerns about water availability, agriculture and weather patterns across the country. Furthermore, weak Sindh rainfall makes those concerns sharpest in the province where the shortfall was most severe. Pakistan is also bracing for around 25 percent water shortage during the Rabi season starting this week. Wheat is the season’s main crop, so fears about food security next year are growing.
Still, the dry monsoon leaves farmers and water managers facing a difficult season ahead. Water availability will therefore remain a key worry in the coming months. Finally, the figures show how uneven this year’s monsoon was across Pakistan.
