Monsoon activity to slow down in northwest India

Serious implications for water recharge, kharif sowing

In bad news, rainfall activity over northwest India, including this capital city, is expected to decrease from tomorrow, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

This would widen the existing rain deficiency for the entire season. As of on Friday, the rainfall deficiency was 23 per cent below normal. It could seriously harm further progress of kharif sowing, as July is the crucial month for this. The country receives its highest rainfall in July during the four-month monsoon season.

In its weekly report on the southwest monsoon, the met office said though overall rainfall in July so far has been one per cent above normal across the country, it might show a declining trend from tomorrow in the major growing areas for rice, pulses and coarse cereals, namely, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Rain in some parts of western and southern India, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, is also expected to be scattered during the coming week.

MONSOON WOES

• Rainfall deficiency could seriously harm further progress of kharif sowing, as July is the crucial month for this
   
• The Met office said though the overall rainfall in July so far has been one per cent above normal across the country, it might show a declining trend from Saturday in the major growing areas for rice, pulses and coarse cereals — namely, Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh
   
• Rainfall in some parts of western and southern India, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, interior Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat, is also expected to be scattered during the coming week

“Any increase in deficiency at this stage is not good for the overall scenario,” a senior meteorological department official said. He said the monsoon trough had shifted to the foothills of the Himalayas and that does not cause any rainfall in the plains and coastal regions.

The southwest monsoon is crucial for Indian agriculture, as 55 per cent of the country’s arable land does not have proper irrigation. The rains entered the country after a delay of almost four days, on June 5. Since then, its progress has been rather patchy. The deficiency for the entire season has been static at 23 per cent in recent days, after the showers covered the entire country earlier this week.