Goa received its first significant pre-monsoon showers of the season on Monday, with the state capital Panaji recording 11.4 mm of rainfall until 8:30 am. Strong atmospheric convection combined with high humidity levels triggered widespread thunderstorms across the state. This has dramatically improved the seasonal rainfall status. Goa's pre-monsoon rainfall, which was at a 43% deficit until a day ago, shifted to a 46% surplus by Monday morning.
Chief Minister Reviews Monsoon Preparedness
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that the workforce entering the state during the monsoon will be screened, as they are often found to be carriers of malaria. "The health department will keep checking for vector-borne diseases. Before renting out premises, blood tests should be compulsorily conducted and proper tenant verification must be carried out," Sawant said.
The chief minister stated that the state machinery is ready for the monsoon, and all pre-monsoon work has been completed to avoid any loss of life. Sawant chaired a meeting of the State Disaster Management at the ministerial block in Porvorim. He said the state government has provided between Rs 35,000 and Rs 1.2 lakh to all urban civic bodies, including the Corporation of the City of Panaji. "We have directed the municipal bodies to submit details of the work undertaken as part of monsoon preparedness," Sawant added, urging fishermen not to venture into the sea during the monsoon.
Accident Prevention and Emergency Response
The chief minister said that departments have been directed to work on accident-prone zones to avoid accidents in the monsoon. He urged people not to go swimming in mining pits and laterite stone quarries. Sawant said four ambulances have been procured to react in a timely manner in case of accidents on national highways. He added that the state government has tied up with the Navy to provide divers to save people from drowning in case of floods. The Goa State Pollution Control Board and the collector will act in case of any oil spill on the beaches. Sawant said the emergency response support system response time has been reduced to 9 minutes from 18 minutes.
Financial Assistance and Control Rooms
The chief minister said that around Rs 6 crore has been disbursed to those who faced property loss and others during the monsoon. A centre has been established in the state at a cost of Rs 38 crore to communicate during disasters. Sawant said the state government will restructure the disaster management authority to work exclusively during the monsoon. All 12 control rooms for disaster management have been activated.
Weather Update
After fluctuating between 28-29 degrees Celsius since the last week of April, the minimum temperature on Monday fell to 25 degrees Celsius in Panaji and 24 degrees Celsius in Mormugao. Meteorologist and retired chief scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), M R Ramesh Kumar, attributed the sudden weather activity to strong atmospheric convection combined with high humidity levels prevailing over the state's coast. "The strong convection with high humidities has given rise to several thunderstorms all over Goa," he said.
Several rain gauge stations across Goa recorded substantial rainfall during the spell. Quepem emerged as the wettest location, receiving 78 mm of rainfall in a single day. Canacona recorded 49.2 mm, while Dharbandora registered 48.2 mm during the same period. The cumulative rainfall figures for the pre-monsoon season indicate that Quepem has so far recorded 116.8 mm of rainfall this season, the highest in Goa, followed by Dharbandora with 84 mm until Monday morning.
The rainfall and accompanying thunderstorms have provided much-needed respite to residents who were experiencing scorching summer heat and humidity over the past several days. However, maximum temperatures across the state barely declined following the showers, as Panaji recorded 34.3 degrees Celsius and Mormugao recorded 34.8 degrees Celsius.
Yellow Alert Issued
The India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for May 19, warning of light to moderate rainfall or thundershowers during late evening and night hours. The thunderstorms are likely to be accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) at isolated places over Goa.
