The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning of heavy monsoon showers across coastal India, with potential flood-like conditions in some areas. Coastal Karnataka is expected to experience heavy showers on Wednesday, while Goa, coastal Maharashtra, and Gujarat are predicted to see heavy downpours on 2-3 August.
Parts of central Maharashtra and eastern Madhya Pradesh are also likely to receive isolated instances of extremely heavy rainfall during 1-3 August. The IMD has also highlighted the possibility of significant rainfall in Uttarakhand and certain northeastern regions, with Mizoram expected to be hit by heavy showers on Wednesday. Uttarakhand faces flood warnings during the rainy spell on 31 July.
The IMD explained that the monsoon trough, which had been moving towards northern states earlier in the week, is now active and near its normal position at mean sea level. This shift is expected to persist for the next three days and gradually shift southwards thereafter.
The weather bureau has forecast heavy-to-very heavy rainfall across key southern states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as northeastern states like Mizoram and Manipur, on Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, parts of Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha, which had shown below-normal temperatures due to the onset of the monsoon, are also set to receive heavy rainfall in the next two to three days.
Heavy rains earlier this month have led to flooding in multiple cities, including New Delhi, Surat, and Pune. After a delayed onset and a sluggish progress last month, the southwest monsoon picked pace to cover the entire country by 2 July.
The rainfall in August and September plays a crucial role in agriculture, replenishes reservoirs and aquifers, and helps meet power demand, as it has a bearing on yields and production of Kharif crops sown during June-July. Excessive rains can, however, hurt crop growth.
The weather bureau’s agromet division issued an advisory on Wednesday, urging farmers to drain excess water from fields in regions expected to receive heavy rainfall and to provide mechanized assistance to horticulture.
The June-September monsoon rainfall drives the bulk of India’s $3 trillion economy, accounting for nearly 75% of the country’s annual rainfall. Over half of India’s arable land is rain-fed, and agriculture remains one of the biggest employment generators in the country.
