The Hindu : Front Page : Monsoon delay raises concerns

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Wednesday, Jun 24, 2009
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Monsoon delay raises concerns

New Delhi: With the delay in monsoon raising concerns over farm output, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked officials to monitor the situation closely on a daily basis.

The seasonal rains, which ought to have covered most parts of the country by now, have stopped in their tracks near Mumbai in the absence of a strong surge.

The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to convene a meeting of a Committee of Secretaries.

Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences Prithviraj Chavan said the Prime Minister’s Office, through the Cabinet Secretariat, has been monitoring the monsoon.

A meeting of Agriculture Secretaries of States, that have not received any rains, has been convened on Friday to asses the situation.

Top officials, however, maintain that there was no need to panic as policymakers have factored in a 10-day delay in rainfall while drawing up various plans.

A section of weather scientists was of the opinion that the delay in rains was unlikely to affect the farm sector as July rains would make up this month’s deficit.

Weather scientists said the stalled monsoon was expected to revive by Friday bringing fairly widespread rains across most parts of the country. Short-term predictions showed good rains in most parts till July 2, scientists said.

According to another short-term forecast, most parts of the country are likely to receive rains till July 15. A strong monsoon surge is being observed in the Bay of Bengal raising hopes of revival by June 25, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director B.P. Yadav said.

Asked about the effect of El Nino, rise in Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) in the Pacific Ocean, IMD Director General Ajit Tyagi said meteorologists have noted a 0.5 degree increase in SST. The World Meteorological Organisation has forecast that El Nino conditions are likely to develop towards the “end of the third quarter of 2009.” — PTI

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