Although many parts of the country have received ample amount of rainfall this monsoon the picture is quite dismal in many parts of Madhya Pradesh, Met Department officials said.

The state is on the verge of drought for the second consecutive year as 23 out of 50 districts have received below average rainfall, they said in Bhopal on Sunday.

“Five districts are facing over 40 per cent deficiency of rainfall, seven districts have 30 and 40 per cent deficiency in rains while another 11 districts witnessed less than 30 per cent rains so far this monsoon which normally ends in the first fortnight of September in Madhya Pradesh,” they added.

Katni district is the worst-hit having received 43 cm rains against average rainfall of 97 cm. The highest rainfall of 82 cm was recorded in Dhar.

Apart from Katni, other districts which experienced deficient rainfall include Tikamgarh, Sehore, Panna, Anuppur, Shajapur, Bhopal, Narsinghpur, Raisen, Satna and Rewa, they said.

However, the state may get some rains in the days to come, Met officials said, adding monsoon was active in some parts and another system was forming in the Bay of Bengal which could become active by 14th September and may cause rains in many parts of the state.

Overall Madhya Pradesh has so far received 76 cm of rainfall which was 13 cm less than the average of 89 cm, Met officials said, adding the state’s average rainfall for the season is around 100 cm between 1st June to 30th September