NEW DELHI: India’s annual monsoon officially arrives on the coast of southern Kerala state on Saturday a week later than usual. Monsoon delivers about 70 percent of the country’s rainfall.

Delay of a week in monsoon arrival had a big impact on farmers and millions of Indians this year due to constant ongoing heat waves raising temperatures across the country and drying up water reservoirs. Monsoons are the lifeline of India’s $2.5 trillion economy. It spurs farm output and boost rural spending on items ranging from gold to cars, motorcycles and refrigerators.

Half of the farmland lacks irrigation in India, therefore, monsoon rains come as a blessing for farmers and for those who are directly and indirectly dependent on agriculture for their trade, business and manufacturing. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in April that India likely to receive average monsoon rains this year.

Water is usually scarce in India in the summer months, but the situation is alarming in western and southern states which received below average rainfall in the 2018 monsoon season. Water reservoirs have been depleting in some municipalities of Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad forcing them to cut supplies to ensure water lasts until the arrival of the monsoons.

The monsoon covers almost the half of the country in the first 15 days. The rains reach central India by the third week of June and western India by the first week of July.

After a wet spell, sowing of summer crops begins that raises rural incomes and usually lifts consumer spending in India. Good rains favors the planting of crops such as rice, corn, cane, cotton and soybeans. (Agencies)