The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that India's Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states are likely to receive rainfall in the next few days as Cyclone Biparjoy has weakened, resulting in the monsoon progressing towards the eastern part of India.
According to Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD's Director General, the conditions will be favorable for the monsoon's progress across eastern India, as well as several regions in the southern part of the country from Sunday to Wednesday.
The north-eastern states, which are reeling under a heat wave with temperatures hitting 40°C and even 45°C temperature, will get some relief with the arrival of monsoon showers, which got delayed due to the cyclone.
The farming industry heavily relies on the monsoon season in Northern India, which supplies over 75% of the nation's yearly rainfall, effectively watering more than half of India's agricultural land.
Cyclone Biparjoy (a Bengali word meaning "disaster" or "calamity") left a fair trail of destruction when the severe cyclonic storm and heavy rains damaged houses, public property and disrupted normal life in Kutch, a district of India's Gujarat state. The cyclone then entered Rajasthan system, which left several places flooded due to waterlogging.
India's Home Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, Amit Shah, along with Gujarat state Chief Bhupendra Patel, conducted an aerial survey of the regions that were struck by the cyclone on Saturday.
"We can express satisfaction that nobody has died in the cyclone that made landfall. Not only that, but the number of injured persons was only 47, and casualties of cattle were just 234," Shah said during the press conference.