Monsoon advances to drench Maharashtra and other parts, spelling relief for farmers

NEW DELHI: The monsoon has finally gathered momentum and is within range of Mumbai and water-starved regions of Maharashtra. Quick progress in 24 hours has taken the crucial weather system to many new regions, including Uttar Pradesh.

The monsoon, which has kept farmers on tenterhooks with sluggish progress so far, is expected to intensify in the days ahead. Normal or heavy rainfall all over the country, except the Northeast and Himachal Pradesh, is expected in the last week of June, according to the experimental Extended Range Forecast system of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

In the past 24 hours, the monsoon has expanded into Konkan, parts of Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and the southeastern edge of Uttar Pradesh. “Conditions are favourable for further advance of south-west monsoon into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, Konkan, Marathwada, Vidarbha, east Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, some more parts madhya Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and some parts of west Madhya Pradesh during next 48 hours,” the weather office said in its latest forecast.

This is good news for farmers who have suffered two consecutive droughts and have so far planted crops in 11% less area than last year. Officials say crop planting can rapidly increase in a day or two as soon as the monsoon arrives.

This year’s monsoon, forecast to be 6% above normal, reached the Kerala coast a week late but is now accelerating towards northern India. Rainfall so far is about 24% lower than average with the biggest shortfall of 42% in central India, a region in which the India Met Department includes Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and Odisha.

Weak rainfall has also depleted the main reservoirs, which were filled to barely 15% of capacity last week and had about half the water they held at this time last year. This has affected hydropower generation although the overall electricity supply remains good because of higher coal available for thermal generation.

The delay in this year’s monsoon has also affected food prices, which were up 8% at the wholesale level last month. In June, prices of some vegetables like tomato doubled due to low supply, but traders say prices are expected to cool in the weeks ahead as fresh supplies reach the market.