Stating that the El Nino factor will not have a direct impact on the rains, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has said that monsoon is set to revive by the end of the week. The statement comes amidst worries that the country has recorded a 43 per cent deficit in rainfall in June.

Speaking to reporters, Medha Khole, deputy-director general of the India Meteorological Department, said the impact of El Nino will not be severe on the monsoon. “It was the cyclone Nanauk that stopped the monsoon from coming into the mainland, after it had registered in Andaman and Kerala. But our studies show that it is set to revive by the end of this week, by July 9,” she stated.

The El Nino factor — the rise of oceanic temperatures across the east Pacific Ocean — is said to be associated with a decline in monsoon, and not a direct sign of low rains, Ms. Kolhe said.

“We have stated that the revival of the monsoon should happen in the first week of July and that there should be good rains. It will hit the Western Ghats, and then spread to the rest of the country in a northward direction,” she said.

Dismissing fears that the country is set to experience yet another drought year, she said that a late monsoon did not necessarily signal a drought year.

“Observation centres around the country have predicted that the rains in the month of July and August will make up for the loss in June,” she said.