Kerala braces for monsoon amid COVID-19 pandemic

India's earth sciences ministry said today that "conditions are becoming more favorable for a good monsoon" in the country.

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"Monsoon rainfall between June to September over the country would be 102 per cent of its long period average which means 88 cm," the earth sciences ministry official Madhavan Nair Rajeevan said.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department said that the southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala commencing the four month long monsoon period.

"Sea condition is very likely to be rough to very rough over east, central & adjoining southeast Arabian Sea during the next 48 hrs," the earth sciences ministry said.

The ministry advised fishermen not to venture into the east, central Arabian Sea off Maharashtra coast and north-east Arabian Sea including the Gujarat coast over the next three days. 

The Kerala government said it was gearing up to tackle the monsoon even as it battles the coronavirus pandemic. The state government predicts rise in monsoon related diseases as the monsoon begins to make way into the state.