Monsoon advances into Goa, parts of Konkan

The monsoon advanced to more parts of central Arabian Sea, Karnataka, entire Goa and parts of Konkan, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday.

The persisting ‘low’ over northeast Bay of Bengal and an offshore trough to the peninsular west from south Konkan to Kerala set up the platform for the spectacular northward progress of seasonal rains.

Sustained northward propagating convection (cloud-building activity) was observed over the Arabian Sea, opening up later in fairly widespread rains with heavy to very heavy falls over Karnataka, Konkan and Goa.

NORTHERN LIMIT

The northern limit of monsoon passed through Ratnagiri, Gadag, Anantapur, Ongole, Kalingapattinam, Paradip, Balasore, Bankura and Gangtok. Mumbai would be the next big port of call which models suggest would be covered in another three to five days.

The Chennai Met Centre said that the monsoon advanced into more parts of north interior Karnataka on Sunday. It has been active over Kerala, coastal and south interior Karnataka.

Rainfall occurred at most places over coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep and at many places over interior Karnataka. Isolated rainfall occurred over Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Forecast for the next two days said that rain or thundershowers are likely at most places over Kerala, Lakshadweep and coastal Karnataka, at many places over interior Karnataka and at a few places over interior Tamil Nadu, north coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Isolated rain or thundershowers are likely to occur over coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema.

A warning valid for the next two days said that isolated heavy to very heavy rain is likely over coastal Karnataka. Isolated heavy rain is also likely to occur over Kerala, Lakshadweep and interior Karnataka.

MAHARASHTRA RAINS

Forecast by the Climate Prediction Centre (CPC) of the US National Weather Services said rains could spread progressively to more parts of Maharashtra and Rayalaseema by June 12 even as fresh convection may break out over southeast Arabian Sea off the Kerala coast.

A week, hence, the CPC saw a new wave of rains marching in from east and east-central Bay of Bengal and looking to enter east peninsular India. The US National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) too has put out an almost similar outlook.

The NCEP persisted with its forecast for widespread rains for the west coast through June 14, with heavy falls forecast for the southern parts of Kerala.

Western Maharashtra could be bracing to share some of the spoils while the Vidarbha region, Telangana and the north Tamil Nadu may sit out. Renewed activity is signalled for the west coast, entire Bay of Bengal and most of the peninsula from June 15 to 23.

MONSOON FURY

According to a six-day outlook put out by the International Research Institute (IRI) for Climate and Society at Columbia University, northern Kerala and adjoining coastal Karnataka would bear the brunt of monsoon fury.

Meanwhile, an IMD outlook saw pre-monsoon thundershowers breaking out over parts of madhya Maharashtra while being isolated over Marathawada during the next three to four days.

Isolated thundershowers have been forecast also for east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha.

Towards the north and northwest, a prevailing western disturbance is expected to cause rain or thundershowers at a few places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Isolated thundershowers are likely over East Uttar Pradesh and isolated dust storm or thunderstorms accompanied with squall over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh.

Southern most village set to disappear

Erayumanthurai fishing hamlet, southernmost village in Kanyakumari district is the worst affected by sea erosion and is in the danger of disappearing from the map.

Located between the Arabian Sea, AVM Canal and the perennial Thamirabarani River, Erayumanthurai is very vulnerable for sea erosion. The sea has engulfed more than half its land eating away rows of houses, coconut trees and fishing equipment worth lakhs. During monsoon, the heavily flooded river enters the village, causing more damage. For the villagers, fishing is the only occupation and during such times, they are the worst affected.

However, the village continues to survive due to a weak and permeable wall, which is slowly collapsing as the sand from beneath continues to get washed away. A number of representations to the district headquarters and the Secretariat in Chennai has yielded no action.

Twenty years ago, the distance between the sea and the river was about 700 metres with eight rows of houses, besides a road, Erayumanthurai parish council member Dunston told Express. But now the distance was merely 50 metres with rows of houses, due to sea erosion.

He said in 1982, when an anti-sea erosion wall was constructed, the population was 7,000 and now it has dwindled to just 2,500.

Priest Ignatius Russel said: “Constructing a backwater on the west of the village is the only solution, but it has been objected by the neighbouring villagers, who fear that it would affect them in turn.”

Professor and oceanographer Vareethiah said construction of fishing harbours, power plants, industries, groynes or any other structure obstructing the course of the sea currents would have a reverse effect on the behaviour of the sea.

“For the past 25 to 30 years, Kanyakumari coast has been witnessing heavy erosion with Neerodi-Kurumbanai being severely battered. This can be attributed to the breakwaters and fishing harbour constructed at Vizhingam, Kerala,” he noted.

“People normally reckon that anti-erosion protection wall can solve the problem. But that only negates the dynamics of the sea currents. A seawall can protect the landscape only for a particular period of time after which the waves will start washing the sand from beneath. If the wall is not reinforced every year without fail, it will create more problems.”

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India Monsoon Is Advancing Again

“India’s monsoon, which accounts for four-fifths of the country’s annual rainfall, revived after a two-week lull and is set to progress toward the main cotton and rice growing areas, the weather bureau said.

Rains moved further into the southern state of Karnataka and covered the entire province of Goa and some parts of the Konkan region on the west coast, the India Meteorological Department, said in a statement on its Web site. The advance of the monsoon, which set in over Kerala state a week before usual this year, stalled after tropical cyclone Aila lashed the nation’s coast on May 25.

Timely rains help boost yields of crops including rice and corn that are sowed after the onset of the monsoon. Increased production will help Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to keep its promise of distributing grain to the poor at below market prices.

The weather bureau predicts “scattered to fairly widespread rainfall activity over the west coast of India and the northeastern states” in the next 48 hours.

Rains covered some regions of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Orissa, West Bengal and Sikkim by May 25, the IMD said. The monsoon was moving toward Maharashtra, the biggest sugar cane-producing state and the No.2 cotton grower, when it stalled.

India received 12.5 millimeters (0.5 inch) of rain in the week ended June 3 compared with a 50-year average of 19.2 millimeters for the period, the weather office said June 4.

Rains were 32 percent below normal at 91 millimeters compared to the 134.5 millimeter average in the three months to May 31, the agency said. Precipitation was below average in 24 of 36 weather zones last week, and normal in the rest.”