Monsoon set in early, has covered most parts: IMD

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon has covered entire Delhi and advanced to most parts of the country, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday, officially announcing the arrival of the rainy season in the national capital before its usual onset date of June 27.

“Monsoon has already covered entire Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, most parts of Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana and entire Delhi as on Thursday,” K Sathi Devi, head, National Weather Forecasting Centre, said.

Cyclone Nisarga, which formed over the Arabian Sea on June 1 and coincided with the arrival of the rains in Kerala, helped the monsoon’s progress, Devi said. So did a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal that formed around June 8.

According to IMD, the monsoon is early over several states by at least a week. This is only the sixth time in the last 20 years that Delhi has seen monsoon arrive earlier than its expected date. In 2008, it arrived on June 15, and in 2013 on June 16.

The monsoon arrived in India on June 1, and parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana were untouched as of Thursday, according to scientists. Usually, the monsoon covers the entire country by July 8. The monsoon has also been 22% excess of long period average till June 24 .

“The monsoon trough is shifting northwards; so for three-four days, there will be very heavy and widespread rains in the eastern Himalayan foothills, Bihar and the northeastern states. There will be no rain in central India during this period and monsoon will advance slowly. July and August are important months for agriculture and we are expecting a favourable monsoon during those two months,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD.

An expansion of the monsoon has spurred hopes of a rural sector-led economic recovery. The June-September monsoon is critical to agriculture and the wider economy.

A poor monsoon hits incomes because agriculture employs nearly half of all Indians. The rains are a lifeline for about 60% of the country’s net cultivated area.

The monsoon impacts inflation, jobs and industrial demand. Good farm output keeps a lid on food inflation. Ample harvests raise rural incomes and spending, helping inject demand into the economy. For instance, nearly half of all motorcycles and television sets in a year are sold to rural buyers. Such purchases keep demand in the manufacturing sectors ticking.