BackMonsoon rains 6% above average in past week: IMD
Water levels in main reservoirs were at 45% of their storage capacity in the week to 4 August, down 2 percentage points from a year earlier
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New Delhi: Monsoon rains in India were 6% above average in the week ended 3 August, the weather office said on Thursday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has retained its forecast for an above-average monsoon this year, boosting hopes of a rise in farm output and income after two years of drought.
An average or normal monsoon means rainfall between 96 and 104% of a 50-year average of 89 centimetres.
Water levels in India’s main reservoirs were at 45% of their storage capacity in the week to 4 August, down 2 percentage points from a year earlier, government data showed on Thursday.
The latest levels were lower than the last 10 years’ average of 47%, but 7 percentage points higher compared with the previous week.
The June-September monsoon is crucial for India’s rain-fed farm sector that accounts for nearly 15% of its $2 trillion economy.
Farmers plant crops such as rice, soybeans, cotton and pulses in the summer-sowing season that starts in June. Reuters
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