Monsoon Unevenness Puts Punjab and Haryana Paddy Farmers on High Alert | Chandigarh News

Bathinda: While Punjab and Haryana have recorded near-normal rainfall so far in the ongoing southwest monsoon season (June–September), it has been uneven across the main paddy-growing districts.In Punjab, after paddy transplantation, major districts such as Sangrur, Muktsar, and Bathinda recorded deficient rainfall, while Amritsar, Jalandhar, Mansa, and Patiala received normal rainfall. Ferozepur, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana, Moga, and Tarn Taran recorded excess rainfall, with Tarn Taran reporting a large excess.Punjab witnessed paddy transplantation over an all-time high of 32.46 lakh hectares, slightly up from 32.43 lakh hectares last year. Of this, Basmati was transplanted in 6.80 lakh hectares. Paddy was transplanted in 2.94 lakh hectares under direct seeding of rice (DSR), up from 2.53 lakh hectares in 2024.In Haryana, Ambala, Karnal, Kaithal, and Jind recorded deficient rainfall. Fatehabad, Panipat, Sonepat, and Sirsa recorded normal rainfall, while Kurukshetra and Hisar recorded excess rainfall.From 1 June to 17 August, Punjab recorded 297 mm of rainfall, 4% below the normal 310.5 mm, while Haryana recorded 329.5 mm, 13% above the normal 290.9 mm. Rainfall is considered normal when it falls between -19% and +19% of the usual level.Among Punjab districts, Sangrur recorded the highest deficit at 36%, followed by Muktsar (32%) and Bathinda (20%). Mansa and Patiala recorded 18% deficient rainfall each, while Tarn Taran recorded 82% excess. Kapurthala recorded a large deficit of 70%. Overall, Punjab had 1 district with large excess, 6 districts with excess, 8 districts with normal rainfall, 6 districts with deficient rainfall, and 1 district with large deficient rainfall.In Haryana, Ambala had the highest deficit at 37%, followed by Jind (34%), Kaithal (33%), and Karnal (20%). Kurukshetra recorded 54% excess rainfall and Hisar 29% excess. Overall, Haryana had 3 districts with large excess, 7 districts with excess, 7 districts with normal rainfall, and 5 districts with deficient rainfall.District-wise rainfall (mm) in Punjab:

District-wise rainfall (mm) in Haryana: