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Tuesday, 04 September 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John's - A dry spell, rather than drought conditions, is affecting Antigua & Barbuda,  Director of the Meteorological Services Keithley Meade has said.

He said below normal rainfall is being recorded as the season continues to generate less precipitation than expected.

In fact, below average rainfall was recorded in July and August.

The situation remained unchanged as weather systems, such as Tropical Storm Isaac, did not generate the anticipated amount of rain.

"In terms of the year, we had an average of 19 to 20 inches which is below (normal) and we are supposed to be in the wet season," Meade said. "At Coolidge we tend to get 40-42 inches for the year and with three months to go if we don't get significant rainfall for those three months we are going to be below normal for the year.

"We are a bit unlucky because the storms that have passed produced much less than expected. If you look at some of the other islands, they have gotten a fair amount of rainfall."

Earlier this year, the Met Office reported that drought-like conditions were affecting the twin-island state.

However, Meade said the conditions prevailing over the past months do not reflect a severity that could be termed a drought.

He acknowledged that the situation would be of concern to farmers but said conditions could change between now and November.

"The probability is for things to turn around. There should not be a great deal of worry, though it is a concern that we have.

"Having one of those tropical systems coming across could change the whole face of it. We're hoping that it comes in a manner that it can be useful to us... good amounts being distributed right throughout the period," he added.

Farmers have not been faring badly, according to reports, as production of butternut squash, cucumbers, okra, watermelon, pumpkin, cantaloupe and some other vegetables are up.

Extension Officer Owolabi Elabanjo said farmers have been utilising water from the state-owned Antigua Public Utilities Authority to complement their supply.

"We have to give and take. Some people have it worse than us because of floods. However, at the end of the day we don't want to use APUA to grow food," he said.

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