India’s monsoon rains started retreating from the northwest of the country on Monday, nearly a week later than normal, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

India’s annual monsoon provides almost 70% of the rain it needs to water farms and replenish reservoirs and aquifers and is the lifeblood of a nearly $3.5-trillion economy. Without irrigation, nearly half of Indian farmland depends on the rains that usually run from June to September.

The monsoon generally begins in June and starts to retreat by Sept. 17 but the rains continued this year, which helped to replenish reservoirs but damaged the harvesting of crops that were ready in some states.

Monsoon rains this season have so far been 5.5% above average, according to IMD.

Conditions are favourable for a further retreat of the southwest monsoon from some other parts of West Rajasthan and adjoining areas of Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat during next 24 hours, the IMD said.

(Reuters)