Scanty rainfall in Bihar worries officials

PATNA: The earth is parched. So are the farmers and the common man. The scudding nimbostratus clouds, occasionally covering the clear, blue sky and disappearing in a jiffy, have been belying hopes and predictions, the predictions of the met department and the hopes of Bihar’s farmers.

Every few days, the met office unfailingly predicts that rain will come in the next 48 hours or 72 hours, but the rain god have differed, rather refused to comply. All one can do now is to appease the rain god so that the state can be saved from the spectre of drought looming large.

Till date, rainfall in the state is 43% deficient and unless the deficiency is covered, the water resources and the farmlands will all go dry.

Agriculture director B Rajender said: “Every year, much before the onset of monsoon, the department organizes a kharif conference’ in which contingency plan for every district is prepared and it is implemented in case of a drought. In fact, we discuss all kinds of drought measures like the kind of seedlings, fertilisers etc to be used in the event of failure of either kharif or rabi crops.”

“Several southwest districts of the state like Bhojpur, Kaimur, Buxar, Gaya and Nawada are in a critical state and contingency plans for these districts are ready. We are working accordingly,” said agriculture production commissioner AK Sinha.

“Till date only 67% seedlings for paddy has been sown in Bihar due to the scanty rainfall. Earlier, a subsidy of Rs 150 per acre was granted on diesel, but this time a subsidy of Rs 200 per acre has been proposed. It will be finalised after Friday’s cabinet meeting,” said Sinha.

Meanwhile, according to IMD predictions, a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region and rainfall activity may increase in Bihar, UP and other northeast states by July 11.

“Once the monsoon activity decreases in the north-west, there is possibility of good rainfall in north-east,” said additional director general (weather forecasting), Pune, AB Mazumdar.

Meteorologists also say the monsoon’s arrival dates over specific regions have no correlation with rainfall behaviour during the season. The IMD has also predicted that July and August will have near normal rainfall, but September will be much wetter than the earlier two months. The forecast for the season has predicted near-normal 102 per cent rainfall.

Even Patna met office sources said that there is only possibility of thunder-showers and scattered rainfall across the state.

Barring two districts–Purnea and Kishanganj—-which have surplus rainfall of 70% and 58% respectively, all the districts are rain-starved.