Team Blitz India
FOR a state facing scorching heat even before the onset of summer, followed by depleting water level in reservoirs, predictions of the timely arrival of monsoon have raised hopes of manna literally coming down from the sky soon.
News reports have quoted top experts as saying that the absence of cyclone formations over the Arabian Sea or Bay of Bengal around the time of the onset of monsoon over Kerala suggests a favourable scenario for Maharashtra.
A senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official has told the Times of India newspaper that cyclone formations typically disrupt monsoon flow. Thus, in the absence of such reports, the first monsoon pulse aiding Kerala’s onset is likely to support a near-normal advancement over the adjoining areas of south peninsular India and the Northeast as well.
Monsoon typically enters northeast India around June 5 and its progress depends on the subsequent monsoon pulse, the report added, with rains entering Maharashtra around June 9-10, as per IMD.
It enters Pune around June 10 and Mumbai around June 11. With La Nina conditions expected during monsoon, the country can anticipate good rainfall in many parts.
Falling storage
Meanwhile, live storage of the country’s major reservoirs has witnessed a fall, with current levels at 25%, according to the Central Water Commission’s (CWC), which added that there is 45.277 billion cubic metres (BCM) of water in 150 major reservoirs. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has said that reservoirs currently have a stock of over 2,37,552 MLD (million litres of water per day), which should last till the advent of monsoon, in case of a normal season this year.
