The southwest monsoon revives the economy dependent on the country’s farms.
New Delhi:
The four-month rainy season in India started with the southwest monsoon hitting Kerala today. “The southwest monsoon has appeared in Kerala,” said director general of the Met department, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra.
The southwest monsoon season, which rebuilds the country’s agricultural economy, first strikes the southern tip of Kerala generally during the first week of June and withdraws from Rajasthan in September.
The monsoon season, from June to September, accounts for 75% of the country’s precipitation. The meteorological office said in April that the country should experience a “normal” monsoon this year, with an average long monsoon at 100%.
India defines average or normal rainfall between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average or a long-term average of 89 centimeters for the entire four-month season.
#Monsoon arrived in Kerala, says IMD. Great relief from the heat, let’s hope this monsoon season remains safe for everyone! pic.twitter.com/VFXf8pjgV9
– Sneha Koshy (@SnehaMKoshy) June 1, 2020
On Saturday, the private forecaster Skymet had declared the arrival of the monsoon, but the Indian meteorological department had diverged, saying that the conditions were not ripe for such an announcement.
The Indian meteorological office or meteorological department (IMD) declares the arrival of monsoon rains only after the parameters measuring the coherence of precipitation over a defined geography, intensity, cloudiness and wind speed are satisfied.
Due to the lack of adequate alternative sources of irrigation, rural India is highly dependent on a good monsoon season. About 75% of the precipitation comes from the four-month monsoon; a good season has a direct impact on the economy because agriculture remains a major contributor to the country’s GDP (gross domestic product).
Meanwhile, a low-pressure area developing over the Arabian Sea is expected to intensify into a severe cyclone and cross northern Maharashtra and southern Gujarat on June 3, the Met department said. The cyclone will have an impact on Mumbai, the state capital, when it crosses Maharashtra, he said.
(With PTI entries)
