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The southwest monsoon is expected to be weak for the next four or five days, providing needed relief to millions. The rains which pounded the country in the first 20 days of the 2013 monsoon season have been 48 per cent above normal so far.
“In June, we usually get around 170 millimetres of rain. This year, in the first 20 days itself, India has got almost 134.3 mm,” a senior official from the meteorological department said.
The southwest monsoon covered the entire country on June 16, almost a month ahead of its scheduled date. Heavy rain in north India has swollen the Ganga and floods have swept away houses, killing at least 80 people and leaving tens of thousands stranded.
For farmland, above-average early rain helps soften the soil, leading to planting of summer crops such as rice, soybean, cane and cotton. The June to September monsoon is crucial, as 55 per cent of arable land is without irrigation. The farm sector accounts for about 15 per cent of a nearly $2-trillion economy, Asia's third-biggest.
