June 3, 2008

Most of India to receive monsoon within the week

Conditions are favorable for the progress of India's monsoon rains to other parts of the country over the next 2-3 days, the country's Meteorological Department said on its Web site late Monday (June 3, 2008).

The department said the monsoon has so far covered several parts of the southern state of Karnataka, most parts of the Rayalaseema region of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and some coastal parts of the state, and the northeastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura and Meghalaya.

The department said the northeastern states will experience widespread rainfall activity, with heavy rain during the next 2-3 days, while heavy rain is also likely in several parts of southern India.

Monsoon rains are the lifeblood of India's agrarian economy, as 60 percent of farmlands are rain-fed.