Monsoon covers India a day later; July rains revive kharif sowing of hope

NEW DELHI: The southwest monsoon finally swept across the country and achieved full coverage on Wednesday — a day later than the usual completion date — after a season marred by delayed onset and patchy rainfall that delayed kharif sowing.

The monsoon covered the entire country on July 9, a day later than the usual date of July 8, after making landfall over the Kerala coast on June 4, three days behind schedule.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the monsoon completed its nationwide advance on July 9 compared to June 27 last year. The last time a monsoon took longer to cover the land after its onset over Kerala was in 2021 when it reached the coast of Kerala on 3 June and covered the entire country on 13 July.

The delayed advance comes in a year when the IMD has forecast sub-normal rainfall, with the southwest monsoon expected to reach 90% of the long-term average (LPA) in the June-September season. The southwest monsoon is critical to India’s economy and agriculture, contributing roughly 70% of the country’s annual rainfall.

A weak June has already burdened the kharif season. Crops were sown on more than 35.08 million hectares as of July 3, about 9.2 million hectares less than the same period last year, after a lack of rainfall for most of June.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday expressed confidence that kharif sowing would pick up speed as the monsoon intensified in July. He said after recording a 33% rainfall deficit in June, the overall deficit has narrowed to 24% after recent widespread showers. Improved rainfall also reduced the number of rain-deficient districts from 262 to 178, raising hopes of a faster pace of sowing in the coming weeks.

Even as rainfall intensified in some regions, the IMD warned of isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Uttarakhand on July 10 under the influence of a well-marked low pressure area over southwest Uttar Pradesh and adjoining areas.

At the same time, rainfall activity is expected to decrease over central India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, from 9 July and over southern peninsular India from 10 July.

The Met office has also issued a low to moderate flash flood risk for parts of Uttarakhand, including Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Almora, Champawat and Nainital districts, warning of surface runoff and flooding in low-lying areas. It also warned of the possibility of landslides in vulnerable areas of Himachal Pradesh, including Spiti, Kinnaur, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur, and advised residents to avoid landslide-prone areas and maintain a safe distance from rivers and other water bodies.