HYDERABAD: From a worrying 28 per cent shortfall in mid-July, Telangana has clawed back to a near-normal monsoon, with only a six per cent deficit now recorded across the state.
According to the latest data from the Telangana Development Planning Society, the cumulative rainfall from June 1 to July 28 stands at 251.3 mm, compared to the normal of 267.1 mm. This sharp turnaround has been largely driven by widespread rain spells over the last 10 days, especially between July 17 and July 26.
The improvement is even more dramatic in Hyderabad. Within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits, the city had recorded a massive 56 per cent deficit as of July 15. But by July 27, that figure had dropped to just 4.3 per cent below normal.
Several western and central mandals within GHMC, including Serilingampally, Musheerabad, and Maredpally, have reported excess rainfall. Serilingampally saw a 24 per cent surplus, while Musheerabad and Maredpally recorded 20 per cent above-normal rainfall each. Bandlaguda, Rajendranagar, and Malkajgiri also touched the ‘normal’ or ‘excess’ zone, lifting overall averages for the city.
This data is a drastic shift from the situation earlier this month.
As of July 15, Hyderabad’s rainfall maps were flooded in red and orange, signalling severe and large rainfall deficiency. That picture has now reversed, with large parts of the GHMC area returning to green (representing normal rainfall) while some mandals saw large excess. This transition, achieved in just under two weeks, speaks to the intensity and consistency of showers the city received in that window.
Statewide as well, Telangana’s mandal-wise rainfall deviation map has undergone a visible transformation. On July 15, the state had over 300 mandals in the deficient or large deficient category, with a handful showing any sign of normal rainfall. But by July 27, the majority of mandals had moved into the normal or excess category, with only scattered patches of deficit remaining.
Districts like Rangareddy, Mahbubnagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri, and Hyderabad, which were earlier flagged as deficient, are firmly in the normal zone. Even parts of Nalgonda and Nagarkurnool have made up lost ground and now reflect excess rainfall.
For farmers in the state, this comes as much-needed relief during the sowing season. Reservoirs, groundwater levels, and urban water supply systems saw benefit from the rains, provided the trend holds into early August. While some southern mandals remain dry, the overall momentum favours a continued recovery, one that was not predicted at the start of the month.
July 13: Telangana had 175 mm of rainfall, against a normal of 219.3 mm, a 20 per cent deviation.
July 25: Cumulative rainfall across the state reached 304.8 mm, just 3 per cent below the seasonal average.
July 28: While the rainfall dipped slightly, the overall deviation remained 6 per cent below normal.
As of July 25, rainfall in Hyderabad had accumulated to 223.7 mm, compared to the seasonal average of 245.8 mm, resulting in a 9 per cent deviation.
