Heavy rainfall on western coast for next 4-5 days, IMD says

New Delhi: Coastal Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat will likely witness heavy monsoon showers over the next few days, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of potential flood-like conditions. 

The IMD forecast that coastal Karnataka will experience heavy showers on Wednesday, while Goa, coastal Maharashtra, and Gujarat are expected to see heavy downpours on 2-3 August.

In addition to these areas, parts of central Maharashtra and eastern Madhya Pradesh are likely to receive isolated instances of extremely heavy rainfall during 1-3 August. The IMD also said that Uttarakhand and certain northeastern regions may receive significant rainfall, with Mizoram expected to be hit by heavy showers on Wednesday. Uttarakhand, in particular, faces flood warnings during the rainy spell on 31 July.

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"The monsoon trough is active and near its normal position at mean sea level. It is likely to persist near its normal position during the next three days and gradually shift southwards thereafter," the IMD said in a press release on Wednesday. This marks a shift in the monsoon trough's direction, which had been moving towards northern states earlier in the week.

The IMD has also forecast heavy-to-very heavy rainfall across key southern states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as northeastern states like Mizoram and Manipur, on Wednesday and Thursday. Additionally, parts of Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha, which had shown below-normal temperatures due to the onset of the monsoon, are also set to receive heavy rainfall in the next two to three days.

Heavy rains earlier this month have led to flooding in multiple cities, including New Delhi, Surat, and Pune. After a delayed onset and a sluggish progress last month, the southwest monsoon picked pace to cover the entire country by 2 July.

For Kharif crops sown during June-July, rainfall in August and September has a bearing on yields and production, and excessive rains can hurt crop growth.

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The weather bureau's agromet divsion issued an advisory on Wednesday, urging farmers to drain excess water from fields in regions expected to receive heavy rainfall and to provide mechanized assistance to horticulture.

The June-September monsoon rainfall drives the bulk of India's $3 trillion economy, accounting for nearly 75% of the country's annual rainfall, which plays a crucial role in agriculture, replenishes reservoirs and aquifers, and helps meet power demand.

Over half of India's arable land is rain-fed, and agriculture remains one of the biggest employment generators.