Monsoon finally made landfall over Kerala on Friday , five days later than its normal date, with the India Meteorological Department saying that widespread rains in the state and other weather parameters met the conditions for monsoon onset to be declared.
The event marks the beginning of monsoon rains over the Indian mainland. The system progresses northwards and normally covers the entire country by July 15, bringing close to 75% of India's rains over a period of four months.
The monsoon's arrival will officially be counted as `normal' because it falls within a week of the normal onset date of June 1. IMD had predicted its arrival on May 30, but had revised it to June 5.
IMD scientists said the onset was weak at the moment and the system was not expected to make rapid progress in the next few days.
“It looks like the monsoon at the moment will remain restricted to the southernmost parts. A circulation system is forming in the Arabian Sea which could take away the monsoon's energy . But things may change in the next 24 to 48 hours. We are watching it closely,“ said D Sivavanda Pai, head of IMD's long range forecasting division that tracks the monsoon.
However, intense rain is predicted over Kerala in the next 24 hours and strong westerly winds could reach speeds up to 55kmph. IMD has alerted fishermen not to venture into the sea and the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has issued directions to all the districts to be prepared to meet contingencies in case of a disaster.
“Southwest Monsoon has hit Kerala today and across the state isolated heavy rains exceeding 7cm is expected in the next 24 hours,“ K Santosh, director, IMD told TOI.
`Subsidy on power, seeds if rains fail'
New Delhi: To tackle possible monsoon deficiency, the Centre announced its contingency plan in which it will supply subsidized diesel, power and seeds to affected farmers. The Centre also asked states to keep aside up to 10% of the funds they get under the flagship Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana to make emergent interventions. States have also been given flexibility to use 10% of the allocation under centrally sponsored schemes. Sources said the Centre may continue Rs 10 per litre diesel subsidy like last year. The subsidy on seeds could be up to 50%. Similarly, free power could be given to farmers for irrigation. The Centre will approach the Economic Affairs panel after reviewing the rain patterns.
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