Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley is marked as having received no rainfall between June 1 and July 19 on the IMD website.
The district normally receives 631.7 mm of rain during this period, making the zero-rainfall entry unusual.
Local officials say rainfall has occurred in Dibang Valley, while the state meteorological centre says the district’s only automatic weather station is not working.
The discrepancy has raised questions over weather monitoring and rainfall data gaps in remote Himalayan districts.
Dibang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh has been listed as having received no rainfall between June 1 and July 19, 2026, during the southwest monsoon season, according to data on the India Meteorological Department (IMD) website.
The district, which shares its northern and eastern borders with Tibet, normally receives 631.7 millimetres (mm) of rain during this period.
But IMD data for the current monsoon season shows zero rainfall in Dibang Valley between June 1 and July 19.
Of India’s 741 districts, Dibang Valley is the only one marked as having recorded no rain during this period. Rainfall data for two other districts, Biswanath and South Salmara, is marked ‘ND’, meaning no data. For Dibang Valley, however, the IMD website shows ‘NR’, meaning no rain.
Officials in the district and at the state meteorological centre say the entry may not reflect actual ground conditions.
Down To Earth (DTE) spoke to officials in Dibang Valley to understand the discrepancy.
An official at the district’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) said rainfall had been lower than usual, but it was incorrect to say that no rain had fallen at all.
“It is raining in Dibang Valley,” the official said, adding that she could not explain why the IMD website showed zero rainfall for the district.
DTE then spoke to Dr A Sandeep, head of the State Meteorological Centre in Itanagar.
He said Dibang Valley currently has only one automatic weather station, and that it is not functioning because of technical issues.
As a result, rainfall measurements from the station are not available, he said. Efforts are under way to repair it.
Dibang Valley is named after the Dibang River, which flows through the district before joining the Lohit River near Sadiya and entering the plains.
The Dibang River’s major tributaries include the Dri, Mathun, Talon, Ame, Ahi, Emra and Awa.
The district is rugged and mountainous, with dense forests and a complex topography. It shares its northwestern, northern and eastern borders with Tibet. Lower Dibang Valley lies to its south, while Upper Siang district lies to its southwest.
Because of its terrain, remoteness and location near an international border, accurate weather monitoring is particularly important for the district.
The zero-rainfall entry has raised questions about how weather data is being collected in remote and strategically sensitive Himalayan districts. If the automatic weather station is not functioning, experts say the data should be clearly marked as unavailable rather than recorded in a way that may suggest there has been no rain.
Reliable rainfall data is essential for agriculture, disaster preparedness, road maintenance, hydropower planning and early warning systems in mountain regions. Dibang Valley is also ecologically sensitive and vulnerable to extreme weather, landslides and river-related hazards.