IMD predicts heavy to very heavy rainfall in Mumbai | Today’s news
NEW DELHI: Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to hit Mumbai on Wednesday, a day after the southwest monsoon swept into the financial capital with intense showers that disrupted traffic and brought parts of the city to a standstill.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 64.5-204.4 mm of rainfall in Mumbai on June 24 and has issued an orange alert asking residents and authorities to be prepared for adverse weather conditions.
Rain intensity should ease later in the week, with light to moderate showers forecast until June 28. On Tuesday, Vasai recorded 290 mm rainfall, 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 rain.
The southwest monsoon, which hit Mumbai two weeks late, came as a relief to the city, where authorities imposed restrictions on water supply to households and commercial establishments. The city is largely dependent on rain-fed lakes for its water supply.
The IMD said the monsoon, which has seen 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 in the next two to three days.
Despite the progress, large parts of the country continue to suffer from a lack of rainfall. IMD data showed that between June 1 and 24, 280 of India’s 741 districts recorded deficient rainfall, while 250 districts reported severe rainfall deficiency. In comparison, 123 districts received normal rainfall and 75 recorded excess or major excess rainfall.
Earlier estimates for the June 1-22 period listed 248 districts in the shortfall category and 268 in the high shortfall category.
According to the IMD classification, major deficient rainfall is 60-99% below normal, deficient rainfall is 20-59% below normal, excess rainfall is 20-59% above normal and major excess rainfall is 60-99% above normal.
The southwest monsoon is important to India as it accounts for about 70% of India’s annual rainfall and is essential for irrigation during the kharif season.
On Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced emergency measures such as alternative ways of growing crops and water conservation methods to mitigate the impact El Nino conditions. He said the country had experienced a 43% deficit in monsoon rainfall in June and that July was expected to experience similarly poor rainfall.
While light rainfall is not uncommon in June, the IMD’s earlier forecast of rainfall at 90% of the long-term average has raised risks of water scarcity ahead of kharif sowing and raised concerns about reservoir water levels.
