NEW DELHI: The monsoon is expected to advance northward as the wind system moves towards the Arabian Sea after Cyclone Vayu lost its intensity, the India Meteorological Department said on Sunday.
The monsoon is now over Mangalore, Mysore, Cuddalore in the southern peninsula, and Passighat, Agartala in the northeast, according to IMD.
The monsoon arrived in Kerala on June 8, nearly a week after its usual date of onset. By now it should have reached central India, including parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, but it is yet to reach Maharashtra.
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.
Vayu is expected to cross the Gujarat coast on Monday evening as a depression. This will pave the way for the monsoon winds to move towards the Arabian Sea. “The progress of monsoon was halted due to Cyclone Vayu. As its intensity decreases, we expect monsoon to progress in the next 2-3 days,” said Devendra Pradhan, additional director general, IMD.
The monsoon deficiency in the country has reached 43 per cent due to its sluggish pace.
The IMD’s central division, which covers Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Goa, has recorded 59 per cent deficiency, while east and northeast India have recorded 47 per cent deficiency. Rainfall deficiency in meteorological subdivisions of west and east Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh was 75, 70 and 72 per cent, respectively. Deficiency in Vidarbha is 87 per cent.
Water level in reservoirs below 10-year average
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 an intense heatwave, especially the eastern states of Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha. This year’s heatwave has not even spared the Himalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir.