The southwest monsoon has staged a strong comeback across India, significantly narrowing the country’s rainfall deficit after weeks of sluggish progress that had raised concerns over agriculture and water availability.
According to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) rainfall data for the period from June 4 to July 7, India has received 164.3 mm of rainfall against the normal 213.2 mm, bringing the nationwide rainfall deficit down to 23 per cent.
Just over a week ago, the country was staring at one of its worst monsoon shortfalls in decades, with the deficit hovering close to 40 per cent.
The improvement comes as the monsoon advanced rapidly across central, western and northern India over the past several days, triggering widespread rainfall and reviving moisture across key agricultural regions.
Several major states have now recorded near-normal rainfall, including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, offering relief to farmers during the crucial sowing season.
Excess rainfall has also been recorded over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
However, rainfall remains below normal across parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Kerala and much of the Northeast, with Manipur continuing to face a large rainfall deficit.
The latest state-wise rainfall map shows central India emerging as the biggest beneficiary of the monsoon revival, while rain activity has also intensified along the west coast after a prolonged dry spell in June.
The improved rainfall outlook is expected to accelerate kharif sowing, replenish reservoirs and ease concerns over soil moisture in several rain-fed farming regions.
Meteorologists say active monsoon conditions are likely to persist over large parts of the country during the coming week, with heavy rainfall forecast over the west coast, central India and parts of northwest India.
While the monsoon has regained momentum, weather officials say the season will need sustained rainfall through July to fully erase the rainfall deficit accumulated during the unusually dry first half of June.
– Ends
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