Rains bring respite to Rajasthan

 A late revival of the monsoon showers has nearly pulled the desert state out of an all out drought.

Moderate to heavy rains being experienced in various parts of Rajasthan since Sunday have helped these areas slip out of drought-like conditions.
At least 12 to 15 of the earlier identified 27 districts might now be able to discard the dreaded drought tag, according to officials.

The state disaster relief management department said now only four districts — Bikaner, Barmer, Jaisalmer and Nagaur — have received scanty rainfall (60 per cent less than normal rain). Most of the districts have moved a notch up from `scanty’ to `deficient’ rainfall category. These districts received 275 mm of rainfall since the downpour started on Sunday.

“It is a big relief for the state. The main problem of drinking water would now be taken care of by these late rains. The rains have also helped the water levels in major reservoirs to go up considerably,” said an official in the water resources department.

Apart from the five drought-hit districts, only seven districts have received average rainfall while 22 districts are in deficient zone. According to irrigation department sources, many districts will make it to the list of average rainfall if the ongoing spell continues.
“The situation has improved a lot. If the rain  continues for few more days as the meteorological department predicted we can hope that at least fodder will be in adequate supply,” said D B Gupta , principal secretary, agriculture .

“The second spell of the monsoon is on and the ongoing pattern suggests widespread rains in the state. Thus, these districts are going to get moderate showers in the coming days,” said S S Singh, regional director at the Jaipur Met office.
According to forecast, widespread rains across the state are expected in the next two days.

The Met department said mild to moderate showers are likely in the southern and eastern parts of Rajasthan. Monsoon will be strengthened in the western parts, including Barmer, Jaisalmer and Jodhpur in the next couple of days.