Rainfall deficiency hits43%,saysIMD
CWC says the water level in reservoirs of southern states and Maharashtra is lesser than the average of last 10 years
NEW DELHI: Rain deficiency in the country has reached 43% and the monsoon is expected to advance further up north as Cyclone Vayu loses intensity paving the way for the wind system to move towards the Arabian Sea, the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday.
By now, monsoon should have reached the central India, including parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, but it is yet to reach Maharashtra.
It still remains over Mangalore, Mysore, Cuddalore over the southern peninsula and Passighat, Agartala in the northeast, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The western coast - from Maharashtra to Gujarat - has been receiving rainfall due to the cyclone. Only coastal Karnataka and Kerala have received rains due to monsoon. Vayu is expected to cross the Gujarat coast on Monday evening as a depression.
This will pave the way for monsoon winds to move up towards the Arabian Sea.Monsoon made an onset over Kerala on June 8, nearly a week after its usual onset date. “The progress of monsoon was halted due to Cyclone Vayu. As its intensity decreases, we expect monsoon to progress in the next 2-3 days,” said Devendra Pradhan, additional director general, IMD.In its monsoon bulletin, IMD said conditions are becoming favourable for further advance of the southwest monsoon to more parts of central Arabian Sea, Karnataka and remaining parts of Tamil Nadu. It is expected to cover more parts of central, north and south Bay, northeast India, north Bengal and Sikkim in 1-2 days.
The overall monsoon deficiency in the country has reached 43% due to its sluggish pace.
IMD’s central division — which covers Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Goa — has recorded 59 per cent of rainfall deficiency.