Monsoon arrives in Delhi, brings city to its knees with heavy downpour

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday declared the arrival of monsoon in Delhi, as heavy rains pounded the city, bringing relief from relentless heat but also causing waterlogging and traffic snarls in various parts of the national capital.

The severe early-morning rains meant that the national capital recorded its heaviest June downpour in 88 years, leading to widespread chaos. Monsoon arrived in Delhi a day earlier than private weather forecaster Skymet had predicted.

Monsoon advances

“Southwest monsoon further advanced into some more parts of west Rajasthan, remaining parts of east Rajasthan, some parts of Haryana, entire Delhi, some more parts of west Uttar Pradesh; remaining parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar; some more parts of east Uttar Pradesh and remaining parts of Uttarakhand,” IMD in a statement said. "As the northern limit of monsoon passes through 26°N/65°E, Jaisalmer, Churu, Bhiwani, Delhi, Aligarh, Kanpur, Ghazipur, Gonda, Kheri, Moradabad, Una, Pathankot, Jammu, 33°N/74°E, conditions are likely to become favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into some more parts of west Rajasthan; remaining parts of Haryana, entire Chandigarh and remaining parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu during the next two-three days,” the weather bureau added.

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As per the Safdarjung Observatory weather station, Delhi received 228.1 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours ended 8:30 am Friday, marking the highest 24-hour rainfall in June since 1936, when 235.5 mm of rain was recorded. Typically, Delhi receives an average of 80.6 mm of rain in June.

The national rainfall deficit as of 28 June was 14% since the beginning of the four-month (June-September) monsoon season, data from IMD showed.

Monsoon crucial for India

Sectors such as agriculture, coal-based power plants, and steelmakers rely on summer rains, or the southwest monsoon, as this typically delivers nearly 70% of the rainwater India needs for its farms and to refill reservoirs and aquifers.

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The development holds more significance for the kharif crops, as planting depends on the first showers of the southwest monsoon. The agriculture ministry on Friday released data on the area sown under various crops like paddy, pulses, oilseeds, cotton and sugarcane. Farmers as of Friday planted kharif crops across 24.1 million hectares, 33% more than a year ago.

Monsoon lost momentum after reaching Mumbai on 9 June—two days earlier than scheduled, despite its arrival in Kerala on 31 May, a day ahead of schedule and five days earlier than normal in northeast India.

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According to IMD, the southwest monsoon normally sets in over Kerala around 1 June. It then advances northwards, usually in surges, and covers the entire country by around 15 July.

The eastern arm of the stream stalled as the Arabian Sea branch was stuck at Navsari on the West Coast for about 10 days, making the eastern arm from the Bay of Bengal worse and monsoon current being stagnant for over 20 days.

Under normal conditions, the southwest monsoon covers West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh around this time of the month and enters Uttar Pradesh on 20 June.

On the western side, the monsoon reaches Ahmedabad by about 20 June and covers half of Saurashtra and central Gujarat. By 25 June, the stream swallows the entire Saurashtra, covering Rajkot and Jamnagar and swathes of north Gujarat, leaving only the Kutch region.

The timely arrival of monsoon is crucial for India's agricultural sector, as around 56% of the net cultivated area and 44% of food production depend on monsoon rainfall. Normal precipitation is essential for robust crop production, maintaining stable food prices, especially for vegetables, and bolstering economic growth.

Agriculture contributes about 18% to India's gross domestic product, underscoring the importance of a good monsoon.