Heat-striken Mumbaites' wish - Rain, rain come again!

Mumbai, June 22 (UNI) After an inaugural over-powering spell of heavy showers on May 31 which led the Mumbaites virtually relive last year's misery of the July 26 deluge, the residents are again 'looking up' towards rain Gods who seem to have gone into the hiding, leaving the city scorchingly hot, humid and dry.

The 20-day long dry spell in this monsoon season is already showing a telling-effect, what with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) imposing a 10 per cent cut in water supply across the city from today, due to lack of rainfall.

The tinseltown, famous for its 'romantic' rainy season ambience, has this year been missing the wet spell as the monsoon has been reported to be weak in the area.

According to Mumbai weather bureau, the weak monsoon currents after the May 31 downpour have been causing hot and humid conditions.

Nevertheless, weather bureau senior official Sati Devi sees it as a normal phenomena as she says that since in Mumbai, the monsoon spell is for four months, there are always going to be different phases of heavy, moderate, mild and dry spells.

Though she agrees that after the onset of an early monsoon on May 31, its activity has been delayed, as Mumbai generally starts receiving good monsoon showers from June 10, she says now the systems are again developing and the metropolis should see rainfall in another two to three days.

Interestingly, on the very first day of monsoon onset, Mumbai received about 200 mm of rainfall on May 31, reminding the people of the unprecedented 944mm rainfall on July 26 last year.

On an average, Mumbai receives about 554 mm of rainfall in June, and this year with a single day rainfall of about 200 mm on May 31-June one, the city till now has, ironically, recorded 222.3 mm rainfall even as the last 20 days have been virtually dry.

But, till rain Gods show some mercy, the Mumbaikars will have to cope up with the unbearable hot and humid conditions as the temperatures, in wake of no rainfall, have been rising.

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