Fresh showers prevent severe drought in Chhatisgarh

State gets 1,060 mm rain during season starting June 1, which is 100.8% of average during past one decade

Fresh spells of rains in major parts of Chhattisgarh for the last one week have prevented the state from slipping into severe drought.

As of Monday, the state recorded 1,060 millimeters (mm) of rainfall during the season starting June 1, which is 100.8 per cent of the average rainfall during the past one decade. 

In July, the state received about 500 mm of rainfall. The figure rose to just 870 mm by the end of August, which alerted the authorities. The further dry spell would mean Chhattisgarh slipping into severe for the second consecutive year.

For the past one week, the state received good rainfall that was not expected in September. “The situation changed drastically with the fresh spell of rain that pulled out many tehsils from the throes of severe drought this year,” a spokesperson of revenue department said.

While 65 tehsils were reeling under the threat of drought, the number would now be confined to less than 10, the spokesperson added. The state government has set up two teams that would be touring the entire state to assess the crop situation and submit a detailed report.

Scanty rainfall in the state would affect production of paddy, the state’s major crop. Chhattisgarh is among the top 10 paddy growing states in the country. Of the estimated kharif foodgrain output of 8.68 million tonnes target for kharif season 2016-17, 7.6 million tonnes would be paddy.

Paddy production would be 16 per cent higher than last year’s production. A target had been set to take paddy crop in 3.6 million tonnes area that would be three per cent less that the area in which paddy was sown in kharif 2015.