Monsoon To Recede Soon

Last year, the south-west monsoon had begun receding from the western part of Rajasthan on September 11, against the normal date of September 1. The withdrawal from north India is generally over by the third week of September.

The overall performance of this year's monsoon has so far been good in all respects, making it the ninth normal monsoon in a row. The most striking feature has been an even distribution of rainfall throughout the country during the entire season, facilitating extensive crop sowing and a good crop stand. Agriculture experts feel that copious rainfall towards the fag-end of the season will leave sufficient moisture in the soil for the ensuing rabi sowing as well.

 

India Meteorological Department (IMD) director Krishna Rao said 33 of the country's total 35 meteorological sub-divisions received normal or excess rainfall so far. The two rain-deficient sub-divisions are Vidarbha and the region comprising Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya. Rao, however, expects the deficiency in these areas to be reduced further in the remaining 20 days of the current monsoon season, ending September 30. No sub-division fell in the