Meanwhile, it146;s all dry on the eastern front

While western India, including parts of Gujarat and Mumbai continue to be lashed by floods and rains, in north West Bengal, it8217;s a picture in contrast.

While western India, including parts of Gujarat and Mumbai continue to be lashed by floods and rains, in north West Bengal, it8217;s a picture in contrast. As many as six districts are reeling under what officials are calling a 8220;near-drought8221; situation with the kharif paddy transplantation coming to a halt.

All six District Magistrates have sent an SoS to state headquarters at Writers8217; Buildings saying that if the situation does not improve in the next seven days, the government will have to keep a contingency plan ready. The kharif crop here is largely dependent on monsoon rainfall.

Thousands of farmers, who have already given up hopes of a normal sowing season before the Pujas, are looking for new pastures elsewehre. In districts like Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur and Cooch Behar, there are reports of several residents leaving for other states in search of jobs, mainly as construction site workers.

The agricultural meteorologist of the state government Swadesh Mishra said that the monsoon this year arrived in West Bengal earlier than expected. In sub-Himalayan Bengal, it arrived on May 28 while it hit South Bengal on June 6 instead of the normal date of June 8.

But since the first week of June until last week, the deficit in rainfall in the six districts Malda, Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar ranged between minus 21 to minus 41. Overall average deficit: minus 27.

The department sent off a letter to the state Chief Secretary today: 8220;The rainfall deficit is critical. Transplanted fields are suffering from moisture stress and harvesting of jute has almost come to a halt for want of adequate water for retting.8221; It is necessary to prepare appropriate contingency for the remaining kharif season, officials said.

The rainfall in South Bengal districts, however, is more or less normal barring in a couple of districts including Hooghly and North 24-Parganas where the shortfall is minus 25 and minus 17 respectively.

Story continues below this ad

Joint director of the state agriculture department Swapan Sarkar said that records presented today by agricultural officers from the affected districts showed that in Malda paddy transplantation is yet to be done in 65 of the cultivable land.

In Uttar and Dakshin Dinajpur too, the operation isn8217;t completed in about 50 to 55 of the land. The paddy seedlings reared in special beds are already 8220;overaged.8221;

The government8217;s proposed contingency plan includes 8220;minikit8221; incentives for affected farmers with seeds of vegetables or crops of short duration. Because by the first week of October, the land has to be ready for the rabi crop.

Assam too looks skyward

GUWAHATI: In Assam, reeling under a serious rain deficit, farmers have been pressing the government to arrange for pumpsets to lift water from rivers and underground sources to save the state from a dangerous fall in rice output.

Story continues below this ad

At least 19 of the state8217;s 25 districts are currently reeling under a shortage of rainfall, though the state government has not yet declared an emergency situation, or even a drought.

Met Department officials said the state received at least 28 per cent less rainfall during June and July. The officials attributed this phenomena to the comparatively weak flow of the Cross-Equatorial moisture-laden ocean wind as well as to the relatively feeble Tibetan High-Pressure System that influences rain in Northeastern India.

8216;8216;The situation is definitely unprecedented. It is also a fact that we had failed to give due importance to irrigation facilities,8217;8217; Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Tuesday.

8212; Samudra Gupta Kashyap