90% rain deficit in August, all Gujarat farmers to get 2 extra hours of electricity for irrigation

The deficit in August has cumulatively led to 10 of the 33 districts – nearly 30 per cent – of the state to witness a deficit in the Southwest monsoon season. These districts have witnessed a dip of 20 per cent or more from the normal rainfall usually received.

Among the 10 districts, those reporting highest deficit are Dahod (-43 per cent), Gandhinagar (-42 per cent) and Narmada (-35 per cent). As per IMD, the other districts are Vadodara (-33 per cent), Panchmahal (-27 per cent), Dang (-26 per cent), Ahmedabad (-25 per cent), Aravalli (-24 per cent), Mehsana (-23 per cent) and Tapi (-21 per cent).

IMD Regional Director Manorana Mohanty told The Indian Express, “It would not be incorrect to say that this is one of the driest August months in last 13 to 14 years. The deficit of 90 per cent against normal rainfall in August in Gujarat this year is the highest. This is the lowest since 2015, when the deficit was 87 per cent.”

According to IMD, Gujarat has received 673 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31. This is 13 per cent more than the normal rainfall of 595 mm that the state should receive. “With 55 per cent excess rainfall reported this monsoon in Saurashtra and Kutch and 15 per cent deficit in the remaining parts of the state, Gujarat has overall reported 13 per cent excess rainfall this monsoon as of today,” Mohanty said.

According to State Emergency Operation Centre, Gujarat has recorded an average rainfall of 78.44 per cent till July end. However, in August, the state received only 25.49 mm or 3.34 per cent of rainfall. June and July have recorded 242.96 mm and 448.73 mm, respectively.

The IMD has forecast no rainfall in the state for next 5 to 7 days. “However, after one week, the state is expected to receive rainfall over south Gujarat,” Mohanty said.

Meanwhile, two days after the government decided to supply 10 hours of electricity to farmers in 14 districts — Kutch, Banaskantha, Sabarkantha, Patan, Mehsana, Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad, Kheda, Amreli, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka and Junagadh – accounting for a majority of 12 lakh agricultural connections, the government on Thursday decided to extend this facility to all districts. The move is to save Kharif crops like paddy, cotton and groundnut.

Over 20.28 lakh agricultural electricity connections have been provided to farmers in Gujarat with power being supplied to them for eight hours currently at subsidised rates.

As on August 28, almost 100 per cent of the Kharif sowing has been completed in over 83.6 lakh hectare of area. While cotton has been sown in 26.79 lakh hectare (113 per cent of average sowing in last three years), groundnut has been sown in 16.35 lakh hectare (86 per cent) and paddy on 8.69 lakh hectare (103 per cent).

Water Supply Minister Kunwarji Bavaliya had said in a statement on Tuesday that after multiple representations from farmers from north, central and Saurashtra regions of Gujarat, the government had decided to release additional water from all dams — including Sardar Sarovar dam — having more than 80 per cent of stock, to aid farmers.

He had added that the farmers had requested for water from Sujalam Suflam irrigation project in north Gujarat and SAUNI project in Saurashtra.