NEW DELHI: The western Himalayan region logged an 80 per cent precipitation deficit in December, and January so far has been almost dry, with the India Meteorological Department attributing it to the lack of active western disturbances this winter season.The absence of active western disturbances – weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring unseasonal rainfall to northwest India – is also the reason behind the blinding layer of fog persisting over the plains in the region since December 25, the IMD said on Thursday.The precipitation deficit is likely to impact freshwater availability in the Himalayan region, further affecting horticulture and agricultural production, said Sonam Lotus, the head of the meteorological centre in Leh in Ladakh.”January is peak winter but surprisingly, it is so warm in Ladakh and Kashmir that crops are blooming early, and this is very worrying,” he said.Raihana Habib Kanth, Dean (Agriculture) Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, said the snowfall in the Chillai Kalan period (December 21 to January 29) is the only freshwater source for the region before the southwest monsoon sets in.”The prolonged dry spell has reduced the water level in the rivers and streams in the region,” she said.According to a report authored by IMD scientists Krishna Mishra, Naresh Kumar, and RK Jenamani, maximum temperatures have been below normal by 5-8 degrees Celsius over the northern plains since December 29, with a respite on January 7-8 due to a western disturbance.Minimum temperatures have been below 4 degrees Celsius at many stations in the region from January 12 to 17.
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