Mangalore, June 5: Coastal districts of Karnataka have been receiving heavy rain with thunder storms since Monday afternoon, setting a much-awaited stage for the arrival of monsoon in the State.
The constant rains brought the much-needed respite to the people of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi from the oppressive heat.
However, motorists and pedestrians including school children had to face the problem as many roads were inundated due to heavy rains in both the coastal cities of Mangalore and Udupi.
India Metrological Department (IMD), Bangalore, had forecast that the coast would receive over 65 mm of rain on Monday and Tuesday. The forecast came true as people in the twin districts woke up to a rainy morning on Tuesday.
However, B. Puttana, Director of the department, said that it was too early to declare this as the onset of monsoon.
“Monsoon has officially not hit the Kerala or Karnataka coast. Though it will rain heavily, the wind speeds are just around 10 nautical miles, when it should be more than 30 to be declared as monsoon showers. Dakshina Kannada and coastal areas are only receiving pre-monsoon showers,” he said.
He said if rain persisted over the coast and conditions continued to remain favourable, the onset of monsoon may be declared as early as June 6.
And with wind speeds picking up and the seas expected to be choppy, the department had advised fishermen to refrain from venturing into the sea.
In Delhi, India Meteorological Department Director-General Laxman Singh Rathore said: “Monsoon is round the corner. Parts of Kerala have been receiving rain since this morning. We may declare the onset of monsoon by Wednesday.”
Kerala usually receives monsoon showers by June 1. Rathore said there was no need to paint a gloomy picture as the progress of the seasonal rainfall phenomenon was well with the forecast limits which have a model error of four days.
A unique feature of this year's monsoon will be its steady progress along the western coast bringing rain to coastal Kerala and leaving the peninsular region relatively dry. Current observations show central and northern Kerala receiving rainfall whileThiruvananthapuram getting little rain.
Weather watchers attribute the slight delay in the onset of monsoon to “Typhoon Mawar,” which was active in the western Pacific Ocean off the Philippines and sucking away moisture and wind currents to power itself.
“The typhoon has moved northward towards Japan and will no longer affect the progression of the monsoon,” Rathore said.
Monsoon rains are crucial for agriculture as only 40 per cent of the cultivable area is under irrigation. The farm sector contributes about only 15 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product, but it employs about 60 per cent of India's population. Rathore said deviation of three to four days in arrival of monsoon rains would have no adverse impact on sowing of kharif crops.
"There is no concern for paddy sowing because seedlings are raised first in nursery through irrigation and then transplanted in the field much later,” he said.
There may be no impact on cotton and sugarcane crops as these long-duration crops are mostly cultivated in areas with irrigation facilities.
On the back of good monsoon in 2010 and 2011, the country harvested a record grain production of 245 million tonnes and 252.56 million tonnes, respectively.
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