John Wilbert & Vikramaditya
Port Blair, May 16: Substantially less than the previous 2 years & failure of North-West Monsoon last year led to Water Crisis in Andaman and Nicobar Islands this year. As a result, several water reservoirs in South Andaman region are experiencing alarmingly low water levels, posing a threat to the daily water needs of cities and communities.
Despite the recent rainfall brought by Cyclone Mocha to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands last week, there has been minimal improvement in the water situation. Experts from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) anticipate that the current weather conditions are indicating unfavorable conditions for the onset of the monsoon season. On 14 May 2023, South Andaman received a mere 11.9mm of light rainfall, and the following days are expected to bring dry or only minimal precipitation to some parts of the islands.
According to experts in IMD from 1st May to 15th May 2023 the North and Middle Andaman received rainfall of 107MM against a normal of 105MM, which is an actual normal rainfall in this period, in which North & Middle Andaman district and Nicobar district receive almost normal rainfall compared to earlier years, but in South Andaman received only 58.4MM rainfall this year against a normal of 129.8MM normal rainfall in this period in previous years.
However, residents and authorities are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the monsoon rains, hoping for substantial precipitation that will alleviate the water scarcity issue. The local administration is closely monitoring the situation and exploring various measures to address the water shortage, including the possibility of water conservation initiatives and alternative sources of water supply.
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