Jharkhand recovers 9 percent rain deficit in 3 days

Jharkhand has recovered nine percent of its deficit rainfall in the last three days, as incessant rainfall has been witnessed across the state, officials said.

"The rainfall deficit which was around 29 percent Aug 19 will come down to 20 percent by Friday morning. All districts of Jharkhand are witnessing rainfall. The western part of the state has witnessed 50 mm to 80 mm average rainfall in the last three days, and the rest of the state has received 80 mm to 100 mm rainfall, which is around 150 to 200 percent above the normal," G.K. Mohanty, director of the Jharkhand Met office, told IANS.

According to the Met department, Jharkhand received 580 mm rainfall till Aug 19, which was 29 percent less than the normal rainfall for the period.

According to Mohanty, Jharkhand witnessed higher rainfall than normal as a depression formed over the state; the depression moved to Chhattisgarh Thursday.

Deficit rainfall meant Jharkhand had witnessed sowing of paddy only on 30 percent of fields that usually grow the crop.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren Monday reviewed the rainfall and sowing situation of the state. Admitting that a drought-like situation prevailed, the chief minister had announced Rs.2 crore in relief for each of the 24 districts, and a special allocation of Rs.14 crore for the agriculture department, to deal with the situation.

In the last three days, nearly 10 percent of additional fields in the state have seen sowing of the paddy crop.