India's Monsoon Rain Below Average for Fifth Straight Week

India received 6% less rainfall than the 50-year average in the week ended on July 3, according to the India Meteorological Department.

Rajendra Jadhav

India received 6% less rainfall than the 50-year average in the week ended on July 3, according to the India Meteorological Department.

india s monsoon rain below average for fifth straight week

A man walks his cow through a waterlogged street during heavy monsoon rains in Mumbai, India. Photo: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas

Mumbai: India’s monsoon rains in the week ending on Wednesday were below average for the fifth time in a row, although the deficit was the lowest since the start of the season after it revived in central and western regions.

Monsoon rains are crucial for farm output and economic growth, as about 55% of India’s arable land is rain-fed, and agriculture forms about 15% of a $2.5-trillion economy that is the third biggest in Asia.

Also read: Mumbai's People, and the Environment, Are Paying for the City's 'Development.'

India received 6% less rainfall than the 50-year average in the week ended on July 3, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated.

Soybean- and cotton-growing central regions received 43% more rainfall in the week, while the rubber- and tea-growing southern state of Kerala got 87%lower rainfall.

India has received rain that is 28% less than average since the monsoon season began on June 1.

(Reuters)

This article went live on July fourth, two thousand nineteen, at fifty-six minutes past one in the afternoon.

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