Soil moisture update by VanderSat – India September 2021

September 16, 2021

drought india soil moisture

eninsular India higher levels of soil moisture

Soil moisture development in India as of the 2nd week of September shows peninsular India having higher levels of soil moisture as compared to long term average. Most other parts of the country however present drier conditions currently.

Monsoon / cyclonic rains had a direct impact on soil moisture levels in much of the country. IMD rainfall data- on departures from long period averages showing heavier rainfall for May and June – is similar to the then prevailing high soil moisture levels shown in this map. The map shows VanderSat soil moisture satellite data with 20 day backward looking average, deviation from climatology top 10 centimeters.

Lower levels of soil moisture in central and northern parts of India

Dry spells of 2-3 weeks in July did show up in lower levels of soil moisture in central and northern parts, though there are some divergences – which can be expected due to secondary effects of run-off, evaporation, irrigation, etc.

Central and western parts- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Odisha, AP have been showing low levels of moisture for the past fortnight. Soil moisture in the north-east has been low since the beginning of the monsoon and this is likely to have impacted sowing. These areas could do with some rain as we approach the end of the monsoon season.

Soil moisture defined

How much water is in your soil? Soil moisture is a more direct measure of how much water is available for plants and therefore a critical predictor for yield. Rainfall only provides the input of water availability. It does not account for evaporation, water runoff, and the additional water stored in the ground. VanderSat measures soil moisture levels at a unique high resolution of 100 meter by 100 meter globally. Farmers, cooperatives and agricultural firms are using our data on a daily basis to measure, manage and insure their crop growth in every stage of their development.