Kathmandu June 9:This year, as compared to previous years, the Kathmandu valley and other places of the kingdom will be experiencing more pre-monsoon showers. Altogether, in the month of May the capital city and other places of the Mid-Eastern and Western zones of the kingdom received heavy rainfalls for 14 days, totaling 167.5 mm. The normal measure should have been 105.3 mm. It rained for an average of 10 days in the Mid-Western and Far-Western zones during the same period.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, compared to previous years, it drizzled 60 per cent more this year. Similarly, Bhirahawa and Simara experienced 150 per cent more rainfall this year. While, on the contrary, it rained 40 per cent less in Dhankuta, during the same period.

This pre-monsoon rain has drastically decreased the temperature of the valley. The metropolis experienced a high of 32.3 degrees Celsius on May 14th while other cities in the Terai faced a scorching heat in between 37-39 degrees Celsius. ‘But this is in fact a decrease while comparing the temperatures of the same period of previous years’, says Keshav Das Shrestha, Meteorologist at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Ministry of Science and Technology. ‘It is because of the cyclonic depression in places like Orissa in India that is the cause of this pre-monsoon rain’, Shrestha said adding ‘Pokhara experienced the highest quantity of rain (580.9 mm) in the month of May in the whole of the country. The normal measure should have been 325.1 mm’.

According to Shrestha, the monsoon this year has already concentrated itself on the Eastern sectors of Bangladesh and North-Eastern places of India, specially in the state of Orissa. But because of the continuation of Western atmospheric pressure above 5 thousand feet of Nepal, the real monsoon will only begin from June 10, he informed. The monsoon, it is learnt will enter the kingdom from the east on June 10.

Contrary to wide expectation of damage to maize crop because of these incessant rains that have arrived earlier this year, Shrestha assured that ‘it will do no harm to maize but will better the grain harvest in the valley’.

The farmers of the valley and elsewhere in the Terai have been expecting a lesser amount of rainfall during the peak rainy seasons beginning the month of Asar (mid June) because of the heavy rains in the month of May. Although, this cannot be substantiated, a relative dry monsoon season could do tremendous damage to the paddy and other harvest especially in the inner Madhesh districts of the country.