The southwest monsoon, famous for keeping its date with Kerala, has arrived but can’t be seen

Though the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on May 29 that monsoon has set in over Kerala, the dry truth is that the State is still waiting for the elusive weather phenomenon. Barring scattered rain, Kerala — which is the entry point of southwest monsoon into the Indian subcontinent — is yet to get any rainfall worth mentioning. The rumbling monsoon, which had inspired great poets like Kalidasa, has become an entity of the past. In normal circumstances, monsoon used to hit the Kerala coast on the dot on June 1 and spread its wings to the hinterland accompanied by copious rainfall. Despite its fury, the monsoon brought cheer to farmers because it helped sustain agricultural operations. But not anymore! Monsoon, which rather behaved like Shakuntala and Damayanti, the epitomes of beauty and character, has gone truant. A joke in Kerala is that monsoon and Government employees share the same characteristics. The Indian economy depends on a timely and strong monsoon because of agricultural necessities. India’s irrigation needs are met by the rainfall brought by the monsoon. The IMD statement notwithstanding, there is no sign yet of any rainfall, said John Peruvanthanam, an ecologist of repute from the Western Ghats. He said the summer rain had robbed the region of its monsoon share.

The pattern of rainfall has undergone a major change, according to Dr S Abhilash, atmospheric scientist at the Cochin University of Science and Technology. Studies by Dr Abhilash and his team of scientists have established that the Arabian Sea, which has close proximity to the Western Ghats, is getting heated faster than other ocean systems across the world. Clouds that were formed at a height of 12-14 km above the earth’s surface have come down to 1 km to 14 km, akin to a massive overhead tank that could lead to cloudbursts and natural disasters. This is further strengthened by the quarry and resort mafias operating in the high ranges of Kerala. The thick growth of rainforests, once the trademark of the southern State, is a thing of the past. As illegal encroachers clean up the forests to plant cash crops as well as cannabis, even a scarred monsoon remains elusive; proving once again that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Any change in monsoon pattern would be detrimental not only to Kerala but to all southern States.