Agartala/Guwahati, Oct 23 : The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the northeastern region, which has suffered a 20 percent rainfall deficit this season, India Meteorology Department (IMD) director Dilip Saha said Friday.

"During the monsoon (since June 1), the northeastern region, comprising eight states, on an average has suffered a 20 percent shortfall compared to the normal rainfall," Saha told IANS in Agartala.

"The southwest monsoon withdrew from eastern and northeastern states and some other parts of India on October 20, a week after the normal schedule of withdrawal from the hilly region," he added.

According to the officials of the Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) in Guwahati, Nagaland has suffered the maximum deficit among the northeastern states. It recorded a rainfall deficit of 49 percent.

Meghalaya has recorded 44 percent deficit rainfall followed by Arunachal Pradesh 32 percent, Manipur 27 percent, Mizoram 19 percent, Assam 18 percent and Tripura 9 percent.

According to RMC director D. K. Handique, the "normal" rainfall is the average of the annual monsoon rainfall received by the respective states in the past 30 years.

The decline in rainfall has had an adverse effect on agriculture in the region, which has inadequate irrigation facilities.

"The below normal rainfall was one of the factors responsible for the rise in temperature in the entire region, specially in Meghalaya," Handique said. (IANS)