Following the government declaring four taluks of Vijayapura district as drought-hit owing to deficient rainfall, the district administration has launched a survey of the affected areas for submitting a report to the government for taking further action.
Interestingly, while a section of farmland located on the banks of the Krishna faced floods after Maharashtra released excess water, other areas in the district witnessed water-logging after spells of heavy rain.
However, all taluks did not receive equal quantum of rainfall. Standing crop in four taluks were damaged due to scanty rain.
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These taluks are Vijayapura, Indi, Basavanabagewadi and Sindgi. They received little rain during this monsoon.
The decision to declare these taluks drought-hit was taken on the guidelines issued by the Union government which broadly mentions that if any area receives 60 % less rainfall or witnesses a dry spell for more than three weeks, deficiency in moisture, sharp depletion of groundwater level in sowing areas, such area can be declared as drought-hit.
The district faced shortage of rainfall during June and July. However, it rained in the last week of July and in August. Yet, these four taluks did not receive enough rain for sowing and a higher yield.
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Of the total 514 mm average rainfall between January and September, the district received only 371 mm rainfall. The four affected taluks also received rain but less than the average rainfall which prompted the government to declare them drought-hit.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Y.S. Patil has directed the officials of the Revenue, Agriculture and Horticulture departments to start conducting a survey of the affected areas.
Directing them to conduct a joint survey, he asked them to complete the work within a week so that a report could be submitted to the government.
At the same time, he has made it clear that the district is not facing any drinking water crisis as of now.