Delay in withdrawal of south-west monsoon

India has so far received 3% less rainfall than the long-period average since the onset of the monsoon in June.

New Delhi: The withdrawal of the June-to-September monsoon is slower than normal, but there’s no cause for concern as this would benefit farmers who sowed their crops late, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said on Thursday, a day before the season’s normal ending date.

The monsoon season ended in the western parts of Rajasthan around 15 September in phase one of its withdrawal. In the second phase, around 28 September, it withdrew from some other parts of Rajasthan, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir. The line of withdrawal is currently over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan.

The south-west monsoon normally withdraws from the western parts of Rajasthan around 1 September, and parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana around 15 September.

“The actual withdrawal can vary by 10 to 15 days from the normal date of withdrawal. So, this delayed withdrawal is not a cause of concern. It is actually beneficial for the farmers who have done late sowing,” said Charan Singh, scientist, National Weather Forecasting Centre, IMD.

“This late withdrawal will be good for cotton, rice and soyabean crops, which are still not in their harvesting stage. The rainfall at the fag end of the monsoon season is important and also congenial for the sowing of rabi crops, especially wheat and pulses,” said N. Chattopadhyay, deputy director general at the agricultural meteorology division of IMD.

India has so far received 3% less rainfall than the long-period average (LPA) since the onset of the monsoon in June.

“This year’s rainfall was spatially and temporally distributed. The onset of the monsoon started with rainfall in the south, while in July, central India had good showers and in late July, north India faced downpours. Even before the withdrawal, western parts of India faced showers while central India is facing downpours now and it is expected that in the coming days, southern India will also face rainfall,” added Singh.

Central India has so far recorded 6% more rainfall than the 50-year average. North-west and south peninsula and east and north-east India have recorded a deficit of 5%, 7% and 11%, respectively. Deficit areas include Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.

According to an IMD forecast, above-normal rainfall will occur over many parts of north-eastern and peninsular India in the next two weeks. Also, normal to above normal rain will occur over parts of eastern and central India during the next two weeks.

North-west India will remain dry from 6 October.

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