S-W Monsoon Arrives 8 Days Behind Schedule

The anxiously awaited rainy season formally began yesterday in the country with the arrival of the south-west monsoon simultaneously at the Kerala coast and the north-eastern states, eight days behind the normal date of June 1. The south-west monsoon had reached the south Andaman sea on May 16, more or less on schedule.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) expects the monsoon to advance further into south Karnataka and southern Andhra Pradesh, as well as the entire north-eastern region including Assam in the next 48 hours.

Although the monsoon current that has reached Kerala is slightly weak, it has caused substantial rainfall in the state, especially north Kerala. The states problems of water scarcity and power shortage are likely to be alleviated following the precipitation.

 

The monsoon current in the north-east, on the other hand, is described by the IMD as being in good shape. Copious rainfall was reported from most of the north-eastern states since yesterday morning.

A part of Assam which did not receive rainfall yesterday is likely to do so within the next 48 hours, predicts the IMD.

The south-west monsoon normally breaks first over Kerala. However, it has been hitting the north-east before reaching Kerala for the past two years. In 1995, the monsoon had hit the north-east on June 5 and Kerala on June 8. Similarly, in 1996, it arrived in the north-east on May 31, followed by its onset over the Kerala coast on June 3.

Sources in the meteorological department said the date of arrival of the monsoon in either Kerala or the north-east has no relation with its further advance into other parts of the country. Nor does it have any bearing on the total quantum of rainfall during the season. The south-west monsoon is normally expected to cover the entire country by July 15.

Agriculture experts said the delay of eight days in the onset of the monsoon season is unlikely to affect the cropping schedule. Many parts of the country, including the northern agricultural belt, have in any case been experiencing intermittent showers for the past couple of weeks due to local weather phenomena.

While these showers had led to a delay in wheat harvesting and marketing operations, they have also facilitated early planting of paddy nurseries and rain-fed kharif crops.

The early sown cotton crop is reported to have suffered some damage in isolated pockets of the northern cotton belt. But the damage is not considered to be irretrievable as there is still time for resowing in fields where the young seedlings have been washed away.

The IMD has predicted that this years monsoon will be normal. The country as a whole is likely to receive about 92 per cent of its long period average rainfall in the four-month rainy season (June to September).