Mumbai: Yes Monsoon, No Rain!

The South West Monsoon arrived dot on time in Kerala on 1st June, 2020 and hit Maharashtra on 11th June--late by only a day. In the next two days the Monsoon covered all of Maharashtra including the COVID-tormented city of Mumbai. While there have been heavy rains in all parts of the state Mumbai and its suburbs have not felt the presence of the Monsoon yet--rains so far only scattered and inconsistent, unable to lessen the discomfort of the people as humidity was increasing all the time. Recently cyclone Nisarga headed for Mumbai side-tracked the city at the last minute and roared into interior Maharashtra just before the Alibaug town on the coast. That was perhaps a sort of a divine intervention sparing the city reeling under COVID spread from another disaster. In the last two days thunderstorms as per weather forecast for Mumbai and Thane didn't materialize at all. However, we would rather not expect the same treatment to be meted out to the city in regard to the Monsoon too. 

The summer this time was marked by relentless heat in the range of 35 to 41 in the city and suburbs including the satellite city of Thane for than two months in the period March-May. There was not even a hint of any dark clouds or high wind during this time--the unusually merciless heat consisting of both dry and humid spells. The desperately-awaited relief was provided by Nisarga; but it lasted only for two days, not coinciding with the monsoon build-up. The temperatures did come down to around 30-34, but was neutralized by rising humidity levels. In the city, particularly in Thane areas, the sky remained mostly cloudy throughout with drizzle only at times and the sun managing to peep out at other times for the last few days, and with no major downfall or thundershowers the humid heat has started getting unbearable. 

Nowadays we never know the ways of Mother Nature, be it weather or natural disasters or spread of the Coronavirus. As seen in the recent years a week's or even a month's total expected rainfall pours down in a single day, creating rain-water havoc. We hope this doesn't happen this time in Mumbai creating more problems for the financial capital of India which has so far only partially lifted lockdown curbs and also for certain districts of Maharashtra where the killer virus is still raging. Meanwhile the rains have cheered up the farmers all over the state to launch their cultivating season in high spirits which is indeed good news as a normal monsoon can do a lot of good at this time to the distressed economy. The sky continues to remain cloudy and humid and gloomy. Let the rains, in equalized daily installments, break the gloom and bring cheers to the hearts of the pensive people, mostly locked up at homes with masked and socially distanced outings, of the maximum city...