By IANS,
Shimla : Dharamsala town in Himachal Pradesh received the highest rainfall this monsoon, breaking a 54-year-old record, the weather bureau said Wednesday.
Dharamsala recorded 3,660 mm of rainfall from June 1 to Sep 26, which is 56 percent more than normal, Met office director Manmohan Singh told IANS.
He said it was the second highest rainfull in 110 years. The highest rainfall of 4,153 mm was recorded in 1958.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon, though deficient by 11 percent, withdrew from the state.
From June 1 to Sep 26, the hill state got 697.3 mm of rainfall against the normal 785.2 mm.
This was the second consecutive year in the state when the rainfall was deficient. Last year it was eight percent deficient. In 2010, it got 16 percent more than normal.
Lahaul and Spiti (71 percent) and Kinnaur (33 percent) districts received deficient rainfall, Manmohan Singh said.
Shimla also experienced 17 percent less rainfall. It saw 587.3 mm of rain against the normal 705.7 mm.
Kangra (23 percent) and Kullu (21 percent) districts received excess rainfall from its normal values.
The monsoon reached the state July 5, but it was delayed by a few days. It normally hits the state by June 27.
Himachal Pradesh’s agriculture and horticulture-based economy is highly dependent on the monsoon.