[ Prafulla Kaman ]
PASIGHAT, Jun 13: The arrival of monsoon rain in Siang Valley and various other parts of the state has brought much-needed relief to the farming community.
After a long dry spell, the South-West Monsoon hit the Siang Valley on Tuesday midnight and since then, the valley is witnessing moderate to heavy rainfall.
Paddy is one of the most important crops in Siang Valley. The crop needs more water as compared to the other crops.
According to experts, the South-West Monsoon covers the Northeastern region during the first week of June. But, this year, despite making an on-time arrival, the pace of South-West Monsoon slowed down.
Report from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) indicates light to moderate rainfall in few places in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in the next few days. The IMD report, however, has predicted below normal rainfall in Northeastern region, including Arunachal Pradesh this year.
As per the IMD report, Arunachal Pradesh recorded 40 percent less pre-monsoon rainfall (actual 310.2mm, against a normal of 519.8mm) between 1 March and 8 May this year. The Himalayan state, however, had received normal pre-monsoon rains during the pre-monsoon period last year.
