Bihar to be declared drought-hit soon: CM

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi Saturday said the state government was ready to declare the state drought-hit as it has become a stark reality.

"If there is no rainfall in the next two or three days, the government will declare the state drought-hit any time after Aug 15," Manjhi told the media here.

Manjhi said that weather experts and agriculture scientists had advised the government to wait till next week for rainfall before declaring the state drought-hit.

A.K. Sen, director of the Patna office of the Indian Meteorological Department, said 60 percent of the districts in the state were facing 40 to 60 percent deficit in rainfall.

An overall 29 percent deficit in rainfall till date has affected paddy sowing and plantation in the state.

If Bihar is declared drought-hit this year, it would be the fourth drought in the past five years.

Last year, the state government declared 33 of the 38 districts drought-hit due to a rainfall shortage of nearly 25 percent.

Bihar had earlier faced droughts in 2010 and 2009 and a bad monsoon in 2012.