IMD Allays Fears Of Poor Monsoon This Year

Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has allayed apprehensions by private and overseas Met agencies of a poor monsoon this year.

The national Met agency, in its report in February, said India will have a normal monsoon this year, as there will be no El Nino effect on the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean after May. Since the south-west monsoon touches the Kerala coast around May 30 or tentatively a week later every year, there will be no problem on the monsoon wind’s advance towards the southern coast this year, it said.

According to Skymet Weather Services, there has been less rainfall in India for the last 5-6 years because of the El Nino factor. It said the same situation will prevail this year, too. There will be less than average rainfall in June and July, it claimed.

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, the national weather agency of Australia, there is about 70 per cent chance of El Nino over the equatorial Pacific ocean, especially in the Indian Ocean and the South Bay of Bengal, this year. Under its influence, there will be a rise in the ocean water, which will have an adverse effect on the south-west monsoon in India.