Is 'Nautapa' rain to blame for late monsoon?

Bhopal, June 23 (UNI) Even as Madhya Pradesh's people desperately await the monsoon's arrival, it is being debated whether premature precipitation during 'Nautapa' -- a nine-day period of extreme summer heat -- is to blame for the delay.

From a scientific viewpoint, this argument holds no water and meteorologists also scoff at such a suggestion but those relying on astrologers claim otherwise.

The monsoon usually arrines in the state by the second week of June but the temperature in several areas hovered above 40 degrees-Celsius.

During 'Nautapa', the sun enters the Rohini constellation. This year, the period began on May 25 and witnessed medium to heavy showers in many parts of Madhya Pradesh.

''The delay is due to an irregularity in the monsoon system. I hope that a depression to be created over the Bay of Bengal, after June 28, will ensure that the monsson enters this state by end of June or the first week of July,'' said Regional Meteorological Centre Director D P Dubey.

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