Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Desperately waiting for the revival of monsoon rains, India is expected to receive above-average rainfall in September, the weatherman said on Wednesday, raising hopes of millions of farmers for a better yield and the government to ease economic constraints amid speculations of a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in coming weeks.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director-General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said here that “According to critical weather parameters, rains are most likely to be above normal in September this year.”
An average or normal, according to the IMD, is the rainfall as between 96 percent and 104 percent of a 50-year average, which currently is 88 cms (34 inches) for the four-month monsoon season beginning in June.
This year’s monsoon hit the Kerala coast on June 3 and quickly spread to two-thirds of India by June 15, as against earlier dates of around June 30. Then it tapered off by June 21. Despite a brief revival, the rains continued to remain weak and patchy across July and August, dashing hopes of the farmers waiting to sow the Rabi crops, and forcing them to reduce sowing areas.
By the end of August, India’s overall rains were 9 percent below average, Mohapatra said.
“Considering the expected above-normal rainfall activity during September 2021, the current deficiency of 9 percent in seasonal rainfall during June to August is very likely to reduce. The accumulated seasonal rainfall between June 1 and September 30, 2021, is expected to be around the lower end of the normal,” he said.
In June, the IMD had predicted that India could receive average monsoon rains this year, boosting expectations for larger farm output amid a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections.
Nearly half of India’s farmland is without irrigation and is almost completely dependent on the annual monsoon rains that ideally lash the subcontinent from June to September.
Agricultural activity accounts for nearly 15 of the Indian economy, Asia’s third-biggest, but sustains more than half of a population of 130 crores.