Of 681 Indian districts, 39% see monsoon deficit as IMD signals revival

Several parts of the country, barring Kerala, which is faced with floods, received less than normal rainfall in the August 02-08 week

The southwest monsoon was 33 per cent below normal in the first week of August, pulling down the cumulative shortfall to almost 10 per cent. The week in question is one of the worsts in terms of performance this year, data released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed on Thursday.

Several parts of the country, barring Kerala (which is faced with floods), Odisha, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, received less than normal rainfall in the August 02-08 week.

So far, data showed around 39 per cent of the 681 districts in the country have received deficient rainfall, while showers