Rain brings relief in Kutch

With Kutch district experiencing good rainfall in the latest round of rains lashing parts of the state, the spectre of drought is now over. As eight out of ten talukas recorded rainfall exceeding 125 mm, there would no longer be a need for declaring the district scarcity-hit.  

On Friday, the sky continued to be overcast with dark clouds, but only Mundra taluka received rains. It got five inches of rainfall in one go this evening, making it the highest recipient of rainfall - 250 mm - in the district this season.

While district collector RR Varsani said the administration had heaved a sigh of relief with this first good round of rainfall, people in two western Kutch talukas of Abadasa and Lakhapat, which were experiencing drought condition since the failure of rains last year, were jubilant and said they were no longer worried about drought.

"We have already received 245 mm of rainfall so far, totally changing the situation, as exodus of people had started for want of water and fodder for their animals. Ninety percent of farmers have sown groundnut and cotton, which required good water," Nalia sarpanch Satish Thackar said on Friday. Mokaji Sodha, sarpanch of Kothara village in Abadsa taluka, said that three ponds in his village were full and this had happened for the first time in the past one decade. Vishwanath Joshi, a Lakhapat-based social worker, said that all dams and ponds in the taluka had received good water which would last for one year. "Even if it does not rain now, the problem of drinking water and grass for cattle is over," he said.

Varsani said though Bhuj taluka has recorded 124 mm rainfall this season, interior areas like Banni have got good rains. People had reported that their village ponds and other water bodies were full of water, easing the water situation. He said two eastern Kutch talukas of Bhachau and Rapar had received more than five inches of rainfall, which was not bad in this early round of monsoon.