Despite rains due to Cyclone Vayu, rainfall deficiency in central India, including Maharashtra, is still at over 59 per cent. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that 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.
According to Asian Age, 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.
The overall monsoon deficiency in the country has reached 43 per cent 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 while east and northeast India has recorded 47 per cent deficiency. Devendra Pradhan, additional director general, IMD told the Asian Age, “Cyclone Vayu halted the progress of monsoon. As its intensity decreases, we expect monsoon to progress in the next 2-3 days.”
Rainfall deficiency in meteorological subdivisions west and east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh was 75, 70 and 72 per cent, respectively. Deficiency in Vidarbha is 87 per cent. According to the Central Water Commission, the water level in reservoirs of south Indian states and Maharashtra is lesser than the average of last ten years. Several parts of the country are reeling under intense heatwave, especially the east Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha.
