Kutch prays for no more rains

Till recently, Kutchis were praying to the rain god to bless them with his bounty. Their calls have been answered, so much so that they are praying for no more rain, for now.  

Abadasa taluka of the district, which was in the grip of drought, recorded 12 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday. The total rainfall in the taluka has reached 641 mm. Mundra taluka has received 527 mm rain, Mandvi (425), Rapar (327), Nakhatrana (307), Bhachau (272), Lakhapat (265), Anjar (254) and Gandhidham (204).

"Yes, we do not need any more rain now as the entire Abadasa taluka is drenched. The crops sown have either been washed away or started rotting because the fields are filled with rainwater. Farmers had sown their main crop in 50,000 acres, which has been destroyed by the last rains, requiring farmers to undertake sowing operation again. The same is the case with our Ram mol crop (coarse grain like bajara, jowar)," Satish Thacker, sarpanch of Nalia, the taluka headquarters of Abadasa told DNA. He said that cotton, an irrigated crop sown in June, which had grown considerably, has now turned red in colour because of excessive rainfall. The produce would be less this time, he added.

In the adjoining Lakhapat taluka, Narayan Sarovar, one of the four pilgrimages considered a must for Hindu devotees in the country, is now full with its water level at 13 feet. It was empty for the past two years and had turned stinky. It was specially cleaned last month with hopes of its getting filled this monsoon.