While facing the Covid-19 issue, some relief has been provided to India with the onset of monsoon, though adding to the existing troubles at some places.
Crux of the Matter
Monsoon In India One can divide the Indian monsoon into 2 main branches. The first one is the southwestern monsoon, which occurs in the period of June-September. It accounts for 75% of the total rainfall and moves from sea to land. The second branch is called Post-monsoon or the northeastern monsoon. It occurs in the period of October-December and moves from land to sea.
Rainfall Distribution In India The average rainfall in India is 125 cm. However, the distribution varies greatly across the country. The western coast and the northeastern sections receive over 400 cm of rain yearly, while it is around 60 cm in western Rajasthan, and adjoining portions of Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat.
Change in 2020 Indian monsoon begins around 1st June. However, 2020 has witnessed a change in the amounts of rainfall which is being welcomed by experts. Across the country, rainfall increased by 70% in the first week of June as compared to the same period across several years. The number was increased to 157% in the central region, with the drastic increase occurring due to the occurrence of Cyclone Nisarga in the early period of June. Trouble For Bihar Bihar recently witnessed floods due to the overflow of the Mahananda river, affecting Kishanganj, Purniya, and Katihar districts mainly.
Bihar: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar visits Madhubani to review flood preparedness. pic.twitter.com/YsOQCnhjoY — ANI (@ANI) June 24, 2020
The flood stirred memories of 2019 when a deadly flood hit Bihar. More than 100 people were killed, with more than 8.8 million people being affected.
Anxiety For Assam Assam also witnessed severe flooding recently, with more than 9.3 lakh people being affected while recording 18 casualties so far.
#Assam: Over 9 Lakh affected in 23 districts as flood situation worsens. CM Sarbananda Sonowal instructs to district administrations to provide necessary help at relief camps. pic.twitter.com/2Wp5JfnEEe — All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) June 29, 2020
The recent events have created a fear regarding the severity of the flood, as Assam witnessed a severe flood in 2019. More than 4.3 million people were affected, and 91 casualties were recorded in the disaster which seriously impacted the state.
Curiopedia
The Great Famine of 1876–1878 was a famine in India under Crown rule. It began in 1876 after an intense drought resulting in crop failure in the Deccan Plateau. The famine covered an area of 670,000 square kilometres and caused distress to a population totalling 58,500,000.
It was not until the invention of the electric telegraph in 1835 that the modern age of weather forecasting began. By the late 1840s, the telegraph allowed reports of weather conditions from a wide area to be received almost instantaneously, allowing forecasts to be made from knowledge of weather conditions further upwind.
The etymology of the word monsoon is not wholly certain but some studies suggest that it is derived from the Arabic mausim, meaning “seasonal reversal of winds”. The term was first used in English in British India and neighbouring countries to refer to the big seasonal winds blowing from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea in the southwest bringing heavy rainfall to the area.
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