The Hindu : Drought-hit farmers find relief in rain

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Thursday, Jan 02, 2003

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Drought-hit farmers find relief in rain

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR JAN. 1 . Widespread rain in Rajasthan coinciding with the arrival of the New Year has brought cheers to the drought-hit farmers in remote areas. The rain in this season is expected to benefit the current rabi crop, even though its sowing has fallen far behind the target.

Unlike the monsoon rain, the current rain -- known as "Mawath'' in common parlance in Rajasthan -- has lashed almost all parts of the State and led to a sharp decline in mercury level. The previous monsoon had completely failed, destroying the crops, lowering the groundwater table and causing a severe scarcity of drinking water and fodder.

According to the Met Office here, the rain is likely to continue for the next couple of days and the temperature is expected to record a further decline.

The maximum rainfall was recorded at 16 mm in Ajmer, while medium to heavy rain was reported from Bharatpur, Jodhpur, Sriganganagar, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Pilani, Alwar and Churu.

The western disturbances caused rainfall with hailstorms in various parts of Jaisalmer district, including Pokhran, Sam, Ramgarh and Fatehgarh. Mount Abu, the only hill resort in Rajasthan, continues to be the coldest place in the State while recording a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius. The capital city of Jaipur experienced a late night drizzle on New Year's Eve.

The farmers across the State are especially enthused by the latest spell of rain and hope for a good harvest of rabi crops. However, the sowing of rabi crops this year was 54 per cent less than last year's, while the target had been fixed at 30.15 lakh hectare. Till November 2002, rabi crops were sown in an area measuring only 14 lakh hectares. It is only the mustard crop that has nearly met the target of sowing and is expected to benefit the most from the Mawath rains.

The agricultural experts, however, point out that the crops may be damaged if heavy hailstorm or frost follows the rains during the next few days.

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Drought-hit farmers find relief in rain