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Rainfall 30% below normal

BS Agriculture Editor in New Delhi

Even as sowing resumed in several parts of the country that received rain in the past four days, the overall deficiency in the monsoon precipitation has risen from 26 per cent last week to over 30 per cent.

However, only six states have so far officially declared certain areas as drought-hit and informed the Centre.

Eight states have sought financial assistance amounting to over Rs 163.74 billion from the National Contingency Calamity Relief Fund.

This is in addition to over Rs 12 billion released by the Centre as the first two installments of the Calamity Relief Fund.

Apart from the overall paucity of precipitation, the water level in the country's major 70 reservoirs, estimated on average at merely 18 per cent of capacity, is causing concern.

"The present water storage is 45 per cent of last year's level, and only 40 per cent of the last 10 years' average level," agriculture ministry special secretary Hemendra Kumar said while briefing newspersons on the latest drought situation.

He said many areas, including the entire peninsular and central India, eastern Rajasthan, Bihar, the Northeast, parts of Orissa, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and western Madhya Pradesh, received rainfall in the past four days.

As a result, sowing of maize and pearlmillet had resumed in the southern and central states, while sowing of pulses and oilseeds had resumed in most parts of the country.

However, paddy sowing operations had improved only marginally, he said.

"If the present weather pattern continues for some more days, as predicted by the India Meteorological Department, the situation could improve," he remarked. Areas still awaiting rains include western Rajasthan, parts of Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and eastern Madhya Pradesh.

On the whole, 26 of the country's 36 meteorological sub-divisions have received deficient precipitation so far.

Five sub-divisions, including eastern Madhya Pradesh (-61 per cent), western Uttar Pradesh (-76 per cent), Haryana, including Delhi and Chandigarh (-74 per cent), eastern Rajasthan (-71 per cent) and western Rajasthan (-73 per cent), received scanty rainfall.

Only six states have so far communicated the list of drought-affected areas to the Centre. These include Andhra Pradesh (22 districts), Chhattis- garh (all 16 districts), Karnataka (143 Talukas), Rajasthan (all 32 districts), Uttar Pradesh (62 districts) and Himachal Pradesh (all 12 districts).

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