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Heavy Rains In Kerala Bring Relief, IMD Says Drought Concerns Misplaced

Heavy Rains In Kerala Bring Relief, IMD Says Drought Concerns Misplaced
Fishermen walk under umbrellas and plastic sheets in the rain at the Cochin Harbor in Cochin, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Kerala has been witnessing heavy southwest monsoons for the past week. (AP Photo)
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Fishermen walk under umbrellas and plastic sheets in the rain at the Cochin Harbor in Cochin, in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Wednesday, June 25, 2003. Kerala has been witnessing heavy southwest monsoons for the past week. (AP Photo)

Most of the citizens in the southern and western parts of India thanked their stars as they heard the sound of thunder, lightening and smelled the smell of wet earth in the wee hours of Friday. Amidst the fears of delay in monsoon and the drought scare, heavy overnight showers in several parts of Kerala raised hopes among Indians.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in its morning bulletin that while rainfall over Kerala has increased, winds over the Arabian Sea are also becoming “favourable”, reported the Hindustan Times. It also said that many places in Karnataka, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Kerala and Tamilnadu has been seeing thunderstorms since Thursday night, reported IANS.

In fact, finance minister Arun Jaitley had told Reuters on Thursday, "The kind of speculation that we have been seeing and the speculative analysis that we have been reading about the monsoon appears to be somewhat misplaced."

Last year, India had received 12 per cent less rainfall, which had impacted the production of grains, cotton and oilseeds.

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