Delayed retreat of monsoon rains to start this weekend

Monsoon rains are likely to enter its withdrawal phase by this weekend, a senior weather official said on Wednesday, delayed by a fortnight due to a late revival of rains.

Usually, rains enter a retreating phase from early September, withdrawing completely from Rajasthan by the middle of the month.

"We expect the withdrawal of monsoon rains to start from Rajasthan and adjoining north-west India in next three-to-four days," said the official who did not wish to be named, as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Rainfalls were 64 per cent above average in the week to Sept 10, the weather office said last Thursday, narrowing the overall deficit for the June-September season to 11 per cent from 15 per cent in the previous week.

The annual monsoon rains are vital because over half of India's farmlands lack irrigation, and the farm sector accounts for 14 per cent of the national economy.

(Reuters)