Monsoon rains to be below normal in northwest, normal in rest of India: IMD
Live MintNew Delhi: India will receive normal rains during the crucial southwest monsoon season despite the emergence of the El Nino weather phenomenon, the weather bureau said on Friday. El Nino is caused due to unusual warming of water in the eastern equatorial Pacific that has a high correlation with warmer summers and weaker monsoon rains in India. “Sowing would be deferred in Rajasthan until the monsoon arrives.” In central India, which grows most of the oilseeds such as soybean, rains are seen normal and thus bode well for sowing operations. A normal distribution of rainfall in July 2023 will be critical to ensure timely sowing of kharif crops over most of the country,” said Aditi Nayar, chief economist and head-Research & Outreach, Icra Ltd. As per Central Water Commission, India's 146 reservoirs as of Thursday held a total of 54.577 billion cubic meters of water, which is 5% lower on year, but 23% higher than the 10-year average.