Director Pakistan Meteorological Department, Dr Muhammad Hanif has forecast significantly below normal winter rains during the next two months in most parts of the country, owing to El-Nino phenomenon.
"Under the regional and global meteorological parameters, significantly below normal winter rains, ranging from 20 percent to 30 percent, are expected in Pakistan during January and February," he said in a press statement issued here on Saturday.
Dr Hanif said a high-pressure area due to El-Nino conditions is prevailing over Pakistan since November 2009, which is blocking the normal winter rains for the country. 'The current El-Nino conditions that started in June 2009 and suppressed monsoon rains in Pakistan are still continuing and expected to last till spring 2010,' he added. During December 2009, about 37 percent below normal winter rains were reported from Pakistan except in Balochistan that received good rains, Dr Hanif said.
The data depicts Balochistan received 78 percent above normal rains, while the rainfall remained 96 percent below normal in Punjab, 12 percent below normal in Kashmir, 58 percent below normal in NWFP, 43 percent below normal in Sindh and 100 percent below normal in Islamabad.
He said due to the low rainfall during the last monsoon season, Pakistan was already experiencing water scarcity that has further aggravated during the ongoing winter. The Rabi crops especially in barani areas would also remain under severe moisture stress, he added.
During the current winter, the snowfall over northern areas, Kashmir and Galliyat, a natural resource of water runoff during dry summer months, has remained well below normal so far, therefore, the water shortage may further be aggravated in urban areeas during the coming months. Dr Hanif has requested the concerned authorities to consider this weather outlook regarding water management, in particular to mitigate the shortage of water availability in near future.