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Long-awaited monsoon rains arrived in India’s financial capital Mumbai on Tuesday, cooling off weeks of scorching heat despite persistent fears of water shortages, with total rainfall so far remaining below the long-term average.
Hundreds of millions of people in India rely on annual monsoon winds to provide vital rains that keep agriculture and industry afloat.
But climate change is making the country hotter and altering weather patterns, and this year the presence of the El Niño weather phenomenon has also brought warnings of lower rainfall.
As of Monday, India had received 60.6 millimeters (2.4 inches) of rainfall, 43 percent less than the normal amount at this point in the season, according to weather department figures.
But there was some relief in Mumbai as the first showers finally began to fall on Tuesday, rejoicing for many of the city’s 22 million residents, although some suburbs had to make do with light drizzle.
“The Southwest Monsoon has moved towards the remaining parts of the Central Arabian Sea (and) parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai,” the meteorological department said.
Possibly inadequate monsoon warnings have caused alarm among farmers and policymakers.
Last week, authorities in Mumbai imposed restrictions on water use, cutting off supplies to swimming pools and construction sites.
In the busy city where many people live without air conditioning, some residents slept on beaches to escape the sweltering night conditions.
The monsoon is a massive sea breeze that brings 70 to 80 percent of annual rainfall to South Asia between June and September.
For several weeks, rain blows northward, providing rain so farmers can plant their crops; This is a crucial lifeline for an industry that supports 45 percent of the people in the world’s most populous country.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan said this month that India would prepare contingency plans to help farmers weather potentially low rainfall due to El Niño.
Naturally occurring climate phenomena cause worldwide changes in winds, air pressure, and precipitation patterns. It generally causes drier conditions in India and Southeast Asia.
The recent El Niño helped make 2023 and 2024 the two warmest years in history.
