New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) So near and yet so far. Looking skywards, that’s what people in many parts of northern India must have felt Monday, as the air was hot, humid and heavy with the possibility of rain, but the magical droplets eluded.
However, it did pour in states like Orissa, Maharashtra, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. In Jharkhand, monsoon showers brought cheer, but also sorrow, with 13 people having been killed in lightening strikes in the last two days.

In some places, the rain clouds played touch and go.

“When I woke up in the morning, I saw rain-bearing clouds from my window, but they just teased us and drifted away,” said Pooja Sarin, a resident of Chandigarh.

It was a similar story in West Bengal capital Kolkata, with a cloudy sky making the temperature somewhat bearable.

In the Indian capital, the Met Office Monday forecast pre-monsoon showers and relief from the sweltering heat within 48 hours. Delhi recorded a maximum of 40.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above what is normal for this time of the season, while the minimum was 29.0 degrees Celsius.

Some parts of the capital received light showers in the afternoon.

Mumbai has been receiving rains for the past two-three days. “We expect Mumbai and Maharashtra to have a normal monsoon this year,” K. Sathidevi, director of the Mumbai Weather Bureau, told IANS.

For rain-dependent farmers and residents of water and power-starved cities where temperatures have hovered around a sweltering 40 degrees Celsius, there is hope - weather officials say the monsoon is not far.

“The southwest monsoon further advanced Monday into the remaining parts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal and Sikkim, entire Bihar, Jharkhand, many parts of east Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand and some parts of east Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh,” an India Meteorological Department official said.

In Orissa, farmers who had not sown their crops till a few days back have now started sowing their fields.

“We thank god for the rain. Although it was late, we have started our sowing activity,” said Bharat Mishra, a farmer in drought-prone Bolangir district.

This year monsoon is expected to be below average. That’s why the weather office gave reason to cheer.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over west coast, northeastern states, West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar, east Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh during the next 48 hours,” the IMD official said.

Pre-monsoon showers drenched several parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, and thundershowers were reported from isolated places.

-Indo-Asian News Service

pg/vt