Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Dec 17: Three districts of Jammu and Kashmir recorded deficient rainfall during the 2025 southwest monsoon season, official data tabled in the Lok Sabha revealed.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences, while responding to a question raised by Lok Sabha member Anil Yeshwant Desai informed that Kishtwar, Kupwara and Shopian districts witnessed rainfall shortfall of more than 20 per cent compared to the Long Period Average (LPA), placing them in the ‘deficient rainfall’ category.
The data revealed that Kishtwar received 309.8 mm rainfall against a normal of 432.1 mm, registering a 28 per cent deficit. Kupwara experienced 185.4 mm rainfall, which was 26 per cent below its normal of 251.5 mm, while Shopian emerged as the worst-hit district in the Union Territory with 119.4 mm rainfall against a normal of 282.9 mm. This shows a sharp steep of 58 per cent deficit.
The Ministry informed the House that rainfall assessment is carried out by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) through a network of nearly 6,700 rain gauge stations across the country, covering all districts, including those in Jammu and Kashmir.
Responding to queries raised on measures to deal with the impact of rainfall deficiency, the Government said that the Ministry of Earth Sciences does not release state-wise or district-wise funds for crop loss. However, to reduce weather-related risks to agriculture, IMD implements the Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa (GKMS) scheme, which provides weather-based agro-meteorological advisories to farmers.
Under the scheme, farmers in Jammu and Kashmir receive district-specific advisories and impact-based forecasts during extreme weather events. These updates are spread through SMS alerts, mobile applications such as Meghdoot and Mausam, electronic media and social media platforms.
Attributing the rainfall deficit to natural variability in monsoon behaviour, the government said that shifts in monsoon trough positions and movement of low-pressure systems make the problem grave. Adding further, “IMD continues to issue seasonal, monthly and short-range forecasts at the district level to aid preparedness.
