New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday that the southwest monsoon may start withdrawing from northwest India around September 15. Usually the monsoon enters from Kerala on June 1 and covers the entire country by July 8. The withdrawal process starts from September 17 and is completed by October 15. The IMD said that conditions are being created for the withdrawal of monsoon from some parts of western Rajasthan around September 15. This year the monsoon covered the entire country nine days before the normal date. This was the earliest after 2020. In 2020, the monsoon covered the entire country by June 26. This time it reached Kerala on May 24, which was the earliest since 2009.
So far, 836.2 mm of rainfall has been recorded across the country, while the normal average is 778.6 mm. That is, there has been 7 percent more rainfall than normal. The weather department had predicted in May that India could get 106 per cent of its long-term average rainfall between June and September.
The monsoon is crucial for India’s agriculture, which supports about 42 per cent of the population and contributes 18.2 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). It also plays a vital role in filling reservoirs needed for drinking water and power generation.
