Source: The Hindu :-
The district in-charge Minister has asked officials to prepare a contingency plan for supplying drinking water.— File Photo
Around 300 villages suffer from lack of drinking water
The district is going through one of the worst droughts of the century, with rainfall less than half of the aggregated annual average.
As per the annual aggregated average, Bidar receives around 900 mm of rainfall. Of this, 200 mm is received in August, the rainiest month of the year.
However, August has proven to be the driest month this year. Rainfall scarcity in the five taluks is around 70 per cent till August 12.
The overall rainfall scarcity is around 55 per cent.
Drinking water is scarce in around 300 of the 900 villages and hamlets, officials informed the district in-charge Minister at a recent meeting.
The Minister has asked officials to prepare a contingency plan for supplying drinking water and implement it after approval from the State government.
Fodder scarcity is another issue haunting farmers. Most farms lack green grass and few farmers can afford to buy dry fodder or oil cakes to feed animals.
“Most of us are cutting down trees on the road side to feed bulls or sheep,” Raghunath Ramshetty, a farmer from Markhal village, said.
The State government has decided to close down the lone goshala in the district and has asked the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry not to open any more.
This decision was taken after some farmers organisations complained of irregularities in running goshalas, officials said. “We have been asked to sell grass and fodder at subsidised rates to animal rearers, by setting up fodder banks at the hobli-level or Raitha Samparka Kendras,” a Veterinary Department officer said. The price of one bundle of hay has been fixed at Rs. 6.
Crop loss
The initial rain spurred sowing on nearly 90 per cent of the targeted area of 3.4 lakh hectares. These crop has either dried up or become stunted as rainfall reduced drastically later.
This also ensured that farmers would suffer huge losses as they will not get the return on their investment, seeds, fertilizers and land preparation.
Agriculture Department officials said that at least half the crop would be lost.
District administration sources said that though the State cabinet had decided to declare drought in 98 taluks, official orders were yet to reach the districts. “We are ready to take up drought relief works,” Anurag Tewari, Deputy Commissioner, said.
“Our contingency plan includes reviving the existing drinking water sources, setting up fodder banks, starting works in rural areas to contain migration, and ground surveys to estimate crop loss. We have sought additional financial assistance from the State government to take up scarcity relief works,” Mr. Tewari said.
Earlier droughts according to district statistical office
1931
1972,
1983,
1992
2005
Rainfall
June – 99 mm out of the normal of 127 mm
July – 57.5 mm out of the normal of 186 mm
August- 47 out of the normal of 71 mm
Sowing
Sown area- 3.18 lakh hectares out of the target of 3.39 lakh hectares
Tur- 69,634 hectares,
Black gram- 21,984 hectares
Green gram – 25,141 hectares
Jowar- 25, 400 hectares,
Sugarcane- 30,000 hectares,
Minor millets, fodder grass and others – 1.5 lakh hectares.
Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/august-driest-month-so-far-for-bidar/article7537506.ece
" Twitter: #BidarInfo (@BidarInfo) "
The district in-charge Minister has asked officials to prepare a contingency plan for supplying drinking water.— File Photo
Around 300 villages suffer from lack of drinking water
The district is going through one of the worst droughts of the century, with rainfall less than half of the aggregated annual average.
As per the annual aggregated average, Bidar receives around 900 mm of rainfall. Of this, 200 mm is received in August, the rainiest month of the year.
However, August has proven to be the driest month this year. Rainfall scarcity in the five taluks is around 70 per cent till August 12.
The overall rainfall scarcity is around 55 per cent.
Drinking water is scarce in around 300 of the 900 villages and hamlets, officials informed the district in-charge Minister at a recent meeting.
The Minister has asked officials to prepare a contingency plan for supplying drinking water and implement it after approval from the State government.
Fodder scarcity is another issue haunting farmers. Most farms lack green grass and few farmers can afford to buy dry fodder or oil cakes to feed animals.
“Most of us are cutting down trees on the road side to feed bulls or sheep,” Raghunath Ramshetty, a farmer from Markhal village, said.
The State government has decided to close down the lone goshala in the district and has asked the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry not to open any more.
This decision was taken after some farmers organisations complained of irregularities in running goshalas, officials said. “We have been asked to sell grass and fodder at subsidised rates to animal rearers, by setting up fodder banks at the hobli-level or Raitha Samparka Kendras,” a Veterinary Department officer said. The price of one bundle of hay has been fixed at Rs. 6.
Crop loss
The initial rain spurred sowing on nearly 90 per cent of the targeted area of 3.4 lakh hectares. These crop has either dried up or become stunted as rainfall reduced drastically later.
This also ensured that farmers would suffer huge losses as they will not get the return on their investment, seeds, fertilizers and land preparation.
Agriculture Department officials said that at least half the crop would be lost.
District administration sources said that though the State cabinet had decided to declare drought in 98 taluks, official orders were yet to reach the districts. “We are ready to take up drought relief works,” Anurag Tewari, Deputy Commissioner, said.
“Our contingency plan includes reviving the existing drinking water sources, setting up fodder banks, starting works in rural areas to contain migration, and ground surveys to estimate crop loss. We have sought additional financial assistance from the State government to take up scarcity relief works,” Mr. Tewari said.
Earlier droughts according to district statistical office
1931
1972,
1983,
1992
2005
Rainfall
June – 99 mm out of the normal of 127 mm
July – 57.5 mm out of the normal of 186 mm
August- 47 out of the normal of 71 mm
Sowing
Sown area- 3.18 lakh hectares out of the target of 3.39 lakh hectares
Tur- 69,634 hectares,
Black gram- 21,984 hectares
Green gram – 25,141 hectares
Jowar- 25, 400 hectares,
Sugarcane- 30,000 hectares,
Minor millets, fodder grass and others – 1.5 lakh hectares.
Source:http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/august-driest-month-so-far-for-bidar/article7537506.ece
" Twitter: #BidarInfo (@BidarInfo) "
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