Monsoon will resume in northwest India, increasing prospects for kharif sowing | Today’s news
New Delhi: After nearly a week of subdued monsoon activity, rainfall will revive in the northwestern plains from July 20, bringing relief to farmers and improving prospects for kharif sowing.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted moderate to heavy rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi from July 20 to 22.
During the same period, rainfall is also expected to intensify in east and west Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, bringing the entire northwest plains under active monsoon, the Met office said.
The revival comes at a crucial stage of the kharif season after almost a week of muted rainfall across the region. The fresh showers are expected to replenish soil moisture, boost sowing and crop establishment, especially for water-intensive crops such as rice, sugarcane and maize, while reducing reliance on irrigation and easing concerns about delayed planting in some areas.
The northwestern plains include Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, eastern and western Uttar Pradesh, and eastern and western Rajasthan.
As of July 10, farmers had sown kharif crops on 53.12 million hectares, down from 63.25 million hectares a year ago, according to government data.
Meanwhile, the monsoon is expected to remain active over East and Northeast India. The IMD has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall over Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, northeast and western Himalayan region in the next seven days. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on 18 and 19 July.
In contrast, rainfall activity is expected to remain subdued over western, central and southern parts of India for the next seven days.
In the last 24 hours, very heavy rainfall was recorded in Uttarakhand, Goa, interior Karnataka and Kerala, while heavy downpours occurred in East Uttar Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Meghalaya and Manipur. Thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds of 40-60 kmph were also reported at isolated places in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Konkan-Goa.
Despite the expected recovery, the weather station has predicted hot and humid conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on July 18.
The weather office has also advised fishermen not to venture into several parts of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in the coming days due to strong winds and rough sea conditions. This advisory applies to waters along the Somali coast until July 22; the southern coast of Gujarat and parts of the northern and eastern and central Arabian Seas during the 18th–22nd centuries. July; coast of Oman during the 19th–22nd July; and the north coast of Maharashtra during the 20–22 july
In the Bay of Bengal, fishermen were warned against entering the waters off the northern coast of Tamil Nadu during the 18th-19th. July and to the southwest and adjacent west-central Bay of Bengal during the 19th-21st july
