IMD forecasts heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai
The southwest monsoon, which hit Mumbai with a two-week delay, has come as a relief for the city, where authorities had imposed water-supply restrictions for households and commercial establishments
MUMBAI is likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday, a day after the southwest monsoon swept into the financial capital with intense showers that disrupted transport and brought parts of the city to a standstill.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 64.5-204.4 mm of rainfall for Mumbai on 24 June and issued an orange alert, urging residents and authorities to be prepared for adverse weather conditions.
Rainfall intensity is expected to ease later in the week, with light-to-moderate showers forecast through 28 June. On Tuesday, Vasai recorded 290 mm of rain, Colaba 250 mm and Santacruz 220 mm, according to IMD data. Parts of the Konkan region, a key rice-growing belt, received more than 210 mm of rainfall.
The southwest monsoon, which hit Mumbai with a two-week delay, has come as a relief for the city, where authorities had imposed water-supply restrictions for households and commercial establishments. The city depends largely on rain-fed lakes for its water needs.
The IMD said the monsoon, which has recorded slow progress this year due to El Nino conditions, is likely to advance further into the north Arabian Sea, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh over the next two to three days.
Despite the progress, large parts of the country continue to face a rainfall shortfall. IMD data showed that between 1 and 24 June, 280 of India's 741 districts recorded deficient rainfall, while 250 districts reported large deficient rainfall. In comparison, 123 districts received normal rainfall and 75 recorded excess or large excess rainfall.
Earlier estimates for the 1-22 June period had shown 248 districts in the deficient category and 268 in the large deficient category.
Under IMD classifications, large deficient rainfall is 60-99% below normal, deficient rainfall is 20-59% below normal, excess rainfall is 20-59% above normal, and large excess rainfall is 60-99% above normal.
The southwest monsoon is important for India as it accounts for about 70% of India’s annual rainfall, and is essential for irrigation in the kharif season.
On Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced contingency measures such as alternative crop patterns and water conservation methods to mitigate the impact of El Nino conditions. He said the country had seen a 43% deficiency in monsoon rainfall in June, and that July was expected to see similar weak precipitation.
While weak rainfall is not unusual in June, IMD’s earlier forecast of rainfall at 90% of the long-period average has raised risks of water shortages ahead of the kharif sowing, and triggered concerns about water levels in reservoirs.
