Modi meets Met dept official as central Gujarat awaits monsoon

“The west coast has become active since Thursday and should bring rainfall to south Gujarat by Sunday. Also,we are expecting the low pressure developed off the Orissa coast to reach central Gujarat in the next five days,” he said.

The total rainfall recorded so far is 40 per cent below normal. ”But it is expected to make up,as the rainfall contribution to the total seasonal rain in the month of June is only 10 to 15 percent,” Ray said,adding: “While last year most of the rainfall in the state was due to offshore trough,this year we are depending on contributions from the depression.”

Further delay in rains may affect the cotton cultivation in the region. Saurashtra,on the other hand,has received a few days of heavy rain and crop sowing should start soon.

A M Sheikh,dean of the B A College of Agriculture under the Anand Agricultural University,said: “Sowing will be delayed as most of the corps are sown after the first rain and at least 80 to 100 mm rainfall. If there is no significant delay in monsoon,maize,millets,paddy,cotton and pulses crops will not suffer.”

Porbandar,Veraval,Bhuj,Naliya,Dwarka and Okha have recorded a few mm rainfall,which is considered conducive for sowing of certain crops.

The delay is reportedly an impact of the cyclone Ila in the Bay of Bengal. The low pressure area developed over Saurashtra and Kutch has now moved towards the Arabian Sea,according to officials.

CM holds high-level review meeting

GANDHINAGAR: Concerned over the delay in monsoon,Chief Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level review meeting with senior officials of the Revenue,Agriculture and Water Resources and Supply departments on Friday. Modi directed the officials to get ready with district-wise plans to meet potable as well as irrigation water needs in the state.

Principal Secretary (Revenue) informed the CM that Gujarat has recorded only 56 % of the season’s total rainfall in June,as compared to the corresponding period the previous year. He also said that as many as 56 talukas were yet to receive rains,while just 50 to 75 mm rainfall was registered in 70 talukas.

The State Agriculture Director told the meeting that the kharif sowing was done in only 9.50 lakh hectares of land till today,as against the target of 86 lakh hectares set by the Agriculture Department. The sowing target could be achieved only if the state received good rains by July 15,he said.

Another official,however,feared that the kharif crop production could go down this season if the state did not receive good rainfall by July 7. “If the monsoon is further delayed,the kharif crops,mainly groundnut,cotton and pulses,will be adversely affected across Gujarat,” the official said.

An official from the Water Resources department said that an average of only 20% of the total storage was available in the irrigation reservoirs in the state,with the reservoirs in north Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch having a meagre 10% of the storage. The situation may worsen if the monsoon is further delayed.