Monsoon Tracker: July Rains Slash Rainfall Deficit, Lift Kharif Hopes; Eastern India Still Awaits Relief

Summary

India's southwest monsoon has picked up pace in July, bringing a significant improvement in rainfall across several parts of the country and raising hopes for the ongoing kharif cropping season. The country recorded more than forty-two percent surplus rainfall in July, helping reduce the overall monsoon deficit to fifteen point two percent from nearly forty percent at the end of June. Despite this improvement, eastern states continue to grapple with a sharp rainfall deficit, with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand recording deficiencies of fifty-three percent, forty percent, and forty percent, respectively.