The Uttarakhand government has sought a special relief package of Rs 200.14 crore from the Centre amid reports that 11 of the total 13 districts are affected by drought-like conditions.
The long dry spell during the past six months has badly impacted wheat and other crops in the hilly region with Tehri, Almora and Pithoragarh districts bearing the brunt of scanty rainfall, top officials said.
Moreover, due to rising mercury, forest fires have also started raging in several parts of the state. The temperature in Dehra Dun broke the 39-year record in the month of April when it reached 40.1 degree C.
State chief minister BC Khanduri has already urged the Centre to send a central team to assess the damage in view of scanty rainfall during the past six months. Khanduri had held telephonic talks with Union food ninister Sharad Pawar and also sought help from the Centre for farmers who have suffered losses.
State agriculture minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said even natural water sources were drying up. Though 11 districts are affected by the drought-like conditions, 50 percent of the crops are damaged in 3,216 villages of the 5 districts alone, Khanduri said.
The chief minister also expressed concern over the Centre’s move to curtail the quota of wheat and rice for the state. In this regard, he said the Centre should give 8,000 tonnes of wheat and 65,129 tonnes of rice.
When contacted, met director Anand Sharma said Uttarakhand received below average rainfall during December, January, February and March. “Because of scanty rainfall during these four months, it was natural that crops might have been affected in the hilly region where irrigation facilities are far less,” said Sharma.