The West Bengal government on Tuesday intensified its preparations for the upcoming monsoon, with urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul conducting an extensive inspection of several waterlogging-prone locations across Kolkata and adjoining areas to assess the readiness of the civic infrastructure ahead of the rainy season.
Several Kerala districts are already under weather alerts as the IMD forecasts thunderstorms, gusty winds and widespread rainfall during the coming week.
The IMD had earlier forecast an early onset of the southwest monsoon around May 26, with a model error margin of ±4 days
Almost since the beginning of the year, social media platforms have been flooded with discussions around so-called “Super El Niño”, with many using the term to make alarming predictions about the Southwest Monsoon — the lifeline of India—in 2026.
Amid apprehensions of economic slowdown exacerbated by multiple factors such as crude oil price shock and currency depreciation triggered by the US-Iran conflict and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, there seems to be some positive news regarding the southwest monsoon—the most awaited weather phenomenon in the country every year.
Most parts of India witness hot to very hot conditions in the pre-monsoon months of March, April, May and June, with some coastal areas having a combination of heat and humidity.
IMD said the 2024 southwest monsoon season rainfall over the country as a whole to be above normal (>104% of the Long Period Average (LPA)).
The Indian economy emerges as a beacon of resilience, standing strong despite the headwinds of a global economic slowdown.
Tourism had barely recovered post-Covid in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh registering 1.06 crore tourists in the first six months of 2023, when monsoon accompanied by floods brought the tourism industry down on its knees.
India’s monsoon season, a natural phenomenon that defines the fate of its agriculture and economy, has taken centre stage once again.
