Rainfall deficient, says IMD

Mumbai: Rainfall deficiency in central India, including Maharashtra, is still over 59 per cent despite rains due to Cyclone Vayu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

The weather department hinted at a delayed monsoon season, stating that the monsoon is yet to reach central India, including parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, eastern Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The overall monsoon deficiency in India has reached 43 per cent.

The Central division has recorded 59 per cent of rainfall deficiency while both east and northeast India have recorded 47 per cent deficiency.

The situation looks grim in Vidharbha and Marathwada regions in Maharashtra. While Vidarbha recorded a rainfall deficiency of 87 percent, Marathwada recorded 50 per cent deficiency in rainfall.

Meanwhile, rainfall deficiency in west Madhya Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh was 75, 70 and 72 per cent, respectively.

According to  the Central Water Commission (CWC), water levels in reservoirs of Maharashtra and south India are lesser than the average of last ten years.

According to IMD, monsoon is expected to advance further up north as the intensity of Cyclone Vayu decreases, paving the way for the wind system to move towards the Arabian Sea. At present, monsoon is over Mangalore, Mysore, Cuddalore over the southern peninsula and Passighat, Agartala in the northeast.

“Cyclone Vayu halted the progress of monsoon. As its intensity decreases, we expect monsoon to progress in the next 2-3 days,” said Devendra Pradhan, additional director general, IMD.

Only coastal Karnataka and Kerala have been recorded due to monsoon so far.  The western coast, from Maharashtra to Gujarat, has been receiving rainfall due to the cyclone.

A weakened Cyclone Vayu is expected to cross the Gujarat coast on Monday evening as a depression. This will pave the way for monsoon winds to move up towards the Arabian Sea.

Cyclone Vayu was to hit the Gujarat coast on Thursday, but it changed course on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. It skirted the Gujarat coast affecting Gir, Somnath, Diu, Junagarh and Porbandar.

Over 3 lakh people were evacuated from the coastal districts of the neighbouring state ahead of the landfall.