Dark clouds over monsoon

The southwest monsoon has defied forecasts, falling 10% below average in the first three weeks of the season.

It lost steam after drenching the west coast, including Mumbai, with torrential rain but is expected to regain momentum by Sunday. Government officials say all will be well if the monsoon comes back on track as crop planting has only just begun. However, risks remain with chances of El Niño developing by September.

That can be bad news not only for farmers who have already weathered two droughts in the past four years, but also for political parties with crucial elections in major states this year and Lok Sabha polls in 2019. ET looks at monsoon and its impact.