New Delhi: The southwest monsoon, which accounts for more than 70 percent of India’s annual rainfall, is set to withdraw from northern and some western parts of the country in the next 48 hours after bringing bountiful showers since August in a late rally that cheered millions of farmers.
This will be the seventh straight year when the withdrawal of monsoon, which normally begins in the first week of September, has been delayed to the third week of the month.
Data released by the weather office last Friday for this season showed that rainfall was just five per cent less than normal till now as against 31 per cent deficiency in June.
According to a bulletin released by the weather department this afternoon, “conditions have become favourable for withdrawal of southwest monsoon from parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Saurashtra and Kutch during next 48 hours”. Satellite imagery and the observations, it said, clearly indicate reduction in moisture over parts of northwest India.
The late rally of the monsoon helped cut the deficieny in summer rainfall experienced in the first two months of the season. In July, the country received 13 per cent deficient rains prompting the government to roll out relief measures.
Usually monsoon withdraws from the entire country by September end, but in the past eight years, this has been delayed till as long as October 11. Even in 2005, when the withdrawal had started on September two, the progress had stalled after the initial phase with the next stage taking place towards month end.
Copious rains in August and the first half of September have helped dispel fears of a widespread drought, which seemed imminent after deficient rains in June and July.
The remarkable August and September rally saw 24 of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions get excess or normal monsoon.
The country as a whole has received 798.3 mm rainfall between June 1 and September 21 as against the normal of 843.1 mm for the period, PTI reports.
