Monsoon may revive over the peninsula next week

After wallowing in rain deficiency for most of July and into the first week of August, parts of South India are readying for a wallop as the monsoon looks likely to revive from the Bay of Bengal next week.

The wind-field map put out by India Met Department (IMD) suggests this turn of events, which is endorsed by both the US Climate Prediction Centre and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

The expectation is that a rain-driving low-pressure area would form off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, the most southerly location yet during the season, which is why it should herald a wet spell into the rain-deficient peninsula.

Tamil Nadu and adjoining South Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra Pradesh are likely to get the heaviest of the precipitation, per the US agency’s forecast.

But ahead of this, very heavy rain is forecast for all of East India (Chhattisgarh, Odisha, East Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and East Madhya Pradesh) during the week ending August 15.

Bengal, the entire North-East and Nepal, too, are forecast to receive rain, which could elevate the threat of landslips and flooding along the vulnerable heights and adjoining plains.

The ongoing rain is being attributed to a North-South trough from East India into the North Bay of Bengal. It is at the tip of this trough that the ‘low’ may form, off the Andhra Pradesh coast, around August 18/19.

The focus of the monsoon has currently shifted to East India and the East Coast and adjoining Bay of Bengal. To the west, the moonsoon flows over the Arabian Sea have been keeping indifferent health.

Our Bengaluru Bureau adds: Meanwhile, Karnataka, which is facing a cumulative rain deficit of around 27 per cent, has asked farmers in the Cauvery Basin not to plant water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane. Farmers in South Karnataka, which is facing the third consecutive drought in a row, have demanded that the Government provide a package for them to deal with the deficit rainfall situation. “Farmers, who have been facing the brunt of consecutive droughts in the region, should be given interest-free loans by the Centre to sustain their livelihoods and overcome the impact," said Kurbur Shantakumar, President of the Karnataka Sugarcane Growers Association.

Neighbouring Kerala has set up three task forces to tackle the serious situation that has arisen following deficit rains this year, a release said.

One task force will oversee rainwater harvesting management throughout the state, while two others would look into repairing of check dams, construction of temporary check dams and cleaning of canals/ponds for the storage of rainwater.

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