Rainfall Deficit Alone Not Enough to Declare Drought, Gujarat Govt Tells Assembly
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Friday said rainfall deficiency alone would not be sufficient to declare drought in any district, stressing that crop conditions, soil moisture, groundwater levels and other scientific indicators must be assessed before taking such a decision.
Responding to a notice under Rule 116 of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly Rules, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rushikesh Patel said the state had received 75.43 per cent of its seasonal average rainfall as of September 3.
While South Gujarat had received 103.91 per cent of its average rainfall, several districts in Saurashtra, Kutch and North Gujarat faced significant deficits. Devbhumi Dwarka recorded only 6.41 per cent of its average rainfall, followed by Porbandar at 18.12 per cent, Jamnagar at 28.88 per cent and Kutch at 29.29 per cent.
However, the government said the agricultural situation did not warrant an immediate drought declaration. As of August 31, sowing had covered 80.39 lakh hectares, or 94.24 per cent of the state's normal sown area of 85.30 lakh hectares.
Sowing of groundnut, pulses, soybean and paddy had exceeded their normal levels, while cotton sowing stood at 90.07 per cent of normal.
The government said water availability was also being closely monitored. The Sardar Sarovar Dam was 88.60 per cent full, while the state's other 206 reservoirs had 66.07 per cent storage. Arrangements had also been made to provide irrigation for Kharif crops in the Narmada command area, along with drinking and irrigation water through the Sauni and Sujalam Sufalam schemes.
Agricultural power supply had been increased from eight to 10 hours in 132 taluka groups across 21 districts. Fodder preparations were also underway, with 402.54 lakh kg available and 31 lakh kg already distributed at subsidised rates.
Citing the Centre's Drought Management Manual, the government said rainfall, crop sowing, NDVI, soil moisture and groundwater levels must be assessed, followed by physical verification of crop damage.
The Congress and AAP have demanded that rain-deficient areas be declared drought-hit to ensure timely relief for farmers and rural communities.
read more :- Cotton Acreage in Maharashtra Drops 10% Due to Delayed Monsoon
