The Hindu Business Line : Monsoon to remain active in Kerala

ALIVE AND ROARING, AGAIN: Monsoon rains have brought the Bharatapuzha, the lifeline of Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram districts, back to life. The mighty river was a forlorn tract of dry sands and rocky crater just a month ago. - K.K. Mustafah

Thiruvananthapuram , June 7

A RAMPAGING post-onset `pulse' of the southwest monsoon inundated vast tracts of land in north Kerala at the end of three days of incessant rain that left at least 15 dead, including eight on Sunday in a car accident in the midlands.

The monsoon fury had abated on Monday, with isolated heavy rain measuring up to a maximum of seven cm being reported from the northern districts.

At the peak of the spell two days back, these areas were pounded non-stop for 18 hours returning upwards of 20 cm of rain.

Met officials told Business Line that monsoon was more or less playing out to copybook style in which successive `pulses' are punctuated by a period of `lull' thrown in between.

Stopping short of a full-scale forecast for the season, especially the crucial July period that could decide the spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, they said conditions could not just get any better for the advancement of and coverage by the system during the week ahead at least.

Live systems on both sides of the peninsula would ensure that the wet spell sustained through the week.

Wind direction and speeds as obtaining currently were at their optimum levels enough to pull the system further to northwest central and central India.

During the week-ended June 2, five meteorological sub-divisions of a total nine under the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, recorded `excess' rainfall. One sub-division recorded `normal' rainfall, two, `deficient' and one, `scanty' (Lakshadweep).

Among the southern States, both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have had a bountiful monsoon week-ended June 2. Twenty-two of the total 30 districts (Pondicherry included) in Tamil Nadu recorded `excess' rain while it was `23 out of 27' for Karnataka.

In Andhra Pradesh, eight out of the total 23 districts recorded `excess' rainfall, five recorded `normal' while it was `deficient' in five and `scanty' in three. Hyderabad and Nalgonda districts recorded no rain.

The Met officials expect the left out areas to be progressively covered during the week.

Kerala, however, returned none-too-spectacular a week in terms of precipitation.

Of the 15 districts (including Lakshadweep), only one (Pathanamthitta) recorded `excess' rainfall. It was `normal' in five, and `deficient' in four. There was no rain in one district.

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