The monsoon in Karnataka has been delayed by a few weeks mainly because of the formation of cyclone ‘Biparjoy’ in the Arabian Sea. The MeT said due to wind pattern changes, rainfall across the country was restricted to 33 percent but predicted that conditions will soon be favourable for the monsoon to strengthen and progress quickly in the coming weeks.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), moderate rainfall is predicted for the next five days across the state and in Bengaluru for the next two days. Many parts of Karnataka reported water scarcity and a rise in temperatures. People are eagerly awaiting rainfall as the only spell of rain on Tuesday (June 20) was not enough.
As on Wednesday, the IMD said, Karnataka had a 70 percent deficit in rainfall whereas this was only close to 24 percent last year. The state had recorded around 76 percent of its total rainfall by June 2022. Usually in Karnataka, the monsoon arrives in the last week of May or within a day or two of June. In the last five years, barring 2019, the monsoon has arrived on time.
“We are expecting rainfall for the next five days in Karnataka. It will be light to moderate. In coastal Karnataka as of today, there is a deficit of 75% rainfall. But on June 24 and 25, widespread rainfall is expected and this will bring major relief to people in coastal areas. But in north interior Karnataka, this year it is -68% rainfall while last year it was -14%, which is slightly worrying,” said IMD scientist A Prasad.
He added: “In the Bengaluru urban district as of today it is -20% while there was an excess of 209% rainfall last year. In Bengaluru rural, it is -16% while last year there was an excess of 256%. But in Bengaluru, we usually witness heavy rainfall between August and September so we will have to wait and see how it will be this time. But you have to remember that climate change has a huge impact on rainfall, which can change the cycle.”
With probable options, the IMD further said it will explore the synoptic scale systems that significantly influence weather conditions over the Indian subcontinent. However, these systems vary in size and duration. They also play a vital role in shaping the annual mean state rainfall and can bring extreme events such as floods, snowstorms, and avalanches to the region.
“The deficit could be made up, provided we have sufficient systems. Generally, monsoon currents will be revived and will then become strong by the presence of weather systems, what we call synoptic scale systems like offshore troughs, upper air cyclonic circulation, or wind shear zone and so on,” Prasad said.
But the Karnataka government, in the wake of rainfall, has directed officials to ensure that all precautionary measures are in place to handle any eventuality. It has also directed the administration to pull up their socks with regard to tackling emergencies arising out of a possible landslide or flood and to be vigilant in disaster-prone areas by keeping human resource and material ready for relief work.
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