ISLAMABAD: The scattered rain that occurred in some parts of the country helped in lowering the temperature as well as benefited the agriculture sector to ensure timely cultivation of major crops.
Talking to Business Recorder, agriculture experts said that the latest rain spell would help in the timely sowing of cotton as well as paddy cultivation.
President Kissan Ittehad Khalid Mehmood Khokhar said that due to climate change, the agriculture sector was affected the most as major crops, fruits and vegetables are more prone to different diseases. He further said that, however, the latest scattered rain in some parts of the country helped in lowering the temperature.
Further, it was very beneficial for the early sowing of cotton crop and now there should be no issues in achieving the sowing target for the current year. Khokhar said that the rain also helped in ensuring timely cultivation of paddy, as it requires a lot of water.
Currently, it is in shipping process and hope the country would achieve the desired results of timely cultivation. Another major crop is sugarcane which also requires huge quantity of water and the latest spell was beneficial for it.
The Pakistan Metrological Department has forecast above the normal rains for the current year, which would be helpful to reduce water issues in the country, he added. According to the Metrological Department, widespread windstorm/thunderstorm rain occurred during the last 24 hours in upper Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northeast Balochistan, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
As per seasonal outlook (July-September) normal to above normal rainfall is expected in most parts of the country, with maximum departure over upper Punjab and lower Sindh.
On the other hand, northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan may get nearly normal rainfall whereas most parts of Balochistan may receive slightly above normal rainfall during the season.
Nationwide, the daytime maximum temperature is expected to be nearly normal however, northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan may experience warmer than normal maximum temperature during the season.
Nighttime temperatures are likely to exceed normal levels across most regions of the country, with marked deviation anticipated over northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and southwestern Balochistan.
The Met Department stated that high temperatures in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Kashmir may accelerate snowmelt, increasing river flow. Based on recent weather conditions, a considerable amount of soil moisture is currently available in the fields. However, rising temperatures may reduce moisture content before the onset of monsoon.
The Met Department has advised farmers to irrigate according to the needs of their crops. Day time temperature is likely to remain above normal all over the country during start of the forecast period but the expected rains towards the end of the season will normalize the high temperature. Strong winds, dust storms, and gusts are highly likely in the season. The extreme hydro-meteorological events over catchment areas of the major rivers of the country are likely to generate riverine floods.
Flash or urban flooding is anticipated in hill torrent areas of Koh-e-Suleman and plains of major cities in Sindh, Punjab, AJK, and KP due to heavy rainfall events during the season.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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