Long-awaited monsoon rains arrived in India’s financial capital Mumbai, cooling weeks of blazing heat despite persistent fears of water shortages with total rainfall so far staying below the long-term average.
Hundreds of millions of people in India rely on the annual monsoon winds to bring vital rains that sustain agriculture and industry.
But climate change is making the country hotter and shifting weather patterns, and the presence of the El Nino weather phenomenon this year has brought warnings of lower rainfall.
As of Monday, India had received 60.6mm of rainfall, 43% less than the normal amount for this point in the season, according to weather department figures.
But there was some relief for Mumbai when the first downpours finally swept in, delighting many of the city’s 22 million inhabitants even as some suburbs had to make do with light drizzle.
“The Southwest Monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, (and) some more parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai,” the weather department said yesterday.
Warnings of a potentially insufficient monsoon have raised alarm among farmers and policymakers.
Last week, Mumbai authorities Mumbai imposed restrictions on water use, cutting supplies to swimming pools and construction sites.
Some residents slept on beaches to gain respite from the sweltering night-time conditions, in a dense city where many live without air conditioning.
The monsoon is a colossal sea breeze that brings South Asia 70-80% of its annual rainfall between June and September.
It sweeps north over several weeks, providing rain for farmers to plant their crops – a crucial lifeline for a sector that supports 45% of people in the world’s most populous country. — AFP
