| . . |
Drought Status in Rajasthan
|| Current
Drought Status || Latest Drought Limitation efforts
|| Impact & issues ||
GENERAL DETAILS OF THE STATE |
State Capital |
Jaipur |
Total Population (‘000s in 1991) |
44,
006 |
Total area (‘000 sq. km) |
342 |
Total districts |
32 |
Total cultivable area (1998-99) (lakh hectares) |
257
|
Estimated food grain production (lakh tonnes) |
172.96 |
Total irrigation potential (lakh hectares) |
47.20 |
Females per 1000 males (1991) |
910 |
Literacy rate (1991) |
38.6 |
Ratio of urban population (1991) |
22.9 |
Net Domestic Product (Rs. million at current prices in 1992-93) |
229,360 |
Per
Capita Income (Rs. at current prices in 1992-93) |
5,035 |
Principal
Language |
Hindi
and Rajasthani |
Current Drought Status
Rajasthan, the
largest State in India with a land area of 3.42 sq. km and an estimated population of
about 54 million in the year 2000 is in the grip of a severe drought. According
to the 1991 census the population of Rajasthan stood at 44 million (34 million rural and
10 million urban).
Out of the 32
total districts in the State drought is prevalent in 31 districts and among these 25
districts are affected severely. 73.64% villages are under the clutches of drought;
affecting nearly 33.04 million people and 39.97 million cattle. The severity of the
drought can be judged from the fact that out of a total of 2647 major water reservoirs
only 300 were filled this year. Also, nearly 75% to 100% crop has been destroyed
due water scarcity. All this has caused loss of livelihood leading to mass migration
in search of employment.
Districts with deficient rainfall or facing
drought like situation in Rajasthan as given by the State include Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara,
Baran, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittore, Churu, Dausa, Dungarpur,
Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Karauli,
Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Tonk, and Udaipur.
Latest
Drought Limitation Efforts
Current Status |
Interventions |
Drinking Water |
Govt./Private water sources of drinking water are available in 33891
villages.
Rest of the the 3669 villages are not
having any drinking water source and 8474 villages are likely to have water scarcity.
Out of these 2203 villages may have to be
provided drinking water from nearby villages/area.
The Govt. has a plan to supply drinking
water through tankers in 1466 villages.
|
GoR
In the affected 31 districts there are
193,299 bore wells. Out of these 15,413 have completely dried up and in the remaining
water is getting depleted at a faster rate. The govt. has energized 530 bore wells and 42
have been deepened/restored up to 15th March.
In the affected districts there are 30,480
water supply schemes out of which 322 are not functional. 189 such schemes have been
restored/augmented till 15th March.
Out of the total 183,618 hand pumps in the
affected districts 49,767 have been repaired and 532 newly installed. The number of hand
pumps, which are still non-functional, is not known exactly.
GoR has deployed 113 water tankers to
supply drinking water in deficient areas. Till 15th March 2001, GoR has spent
Rs. 283.6 million for management of drinking water.
Potable water is being provided to 550
villages of the state through 505 tankers. |
Indian Railways
The Govt. with the assistance of Indian
Railways has drawn up an elaborate programme to transport drinking water through rail/
tankers. The Govt. proposes to supply water to 14 districts through rail tankers. More
than 2800 lac liters of water will be supplied to 375 villages through 9100 rail tankers.
These trains would make 560 trips for the benefit of more than 4 Lac people.
The Indian Railways on 15th
March pressed into its service ‘Special Train’ carrying drinking water to the
drought affected areas. Four worst drought affected districts of Jodhpur, Barmer, Pali and
Sirohi will come under the purview of water supply through train. To cope with the acute
water scarcity, Northern Railways will have to rush 44 tankers of water everyday to the
affected areas. |
NGOs
The Govt. has enlisted the support of
nearly 200 NGOs to bail the state out of the drinking water crises. These NGOs are helping
in transportation and supply of drinking water to villages in the State. So far 119
villages have been provided drinking water through 62 tankers benefiting 59,978 people.
|
Cattle and Fodder |
A total of 21.04 million tonnes of fodder will be required for the
affected 54.35 millions of cattle population. About 16.8 million tonnes of fodder is
available within the State and 4.2 million tones of fodder will have to be transported
from neighbouring states.
Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease:
In the border districts of Alwar, Sikar
Jhunjhunu and Jaipur Foot and Mouth Disease has spread which reportedly has entered in to
the State from neighbouring State of Haryana. In this severe drought period the Foot and
Mouth Disease has already claimed about 432 cattle lives till March 24th. As
per the reports 204 cattle have died in Jaipur district alone besides 98 cattle in Alwar,
97 in Sikar and 33 in Jhunjhunu district.
In an effort to combat the spread of this
disease the State govt. has launched a vaccination drive and other preventive measures in
the areas bordering Haryana where nine mobile teams of veterinary doctors are camping.
As large-scale livestock migration to
the neighbouring State of Uttar Pradesh is reported, it is feared that this fatal disease
may spread among livestock population of Uttar Pradesh.
|
GoR
Till 15th March, Rs. 55.7 millions have
been spent on transportation of 11,646.70 metric tones of fodder. This entire
transportation has been done via road and there is no report of trains carrying out such
activities.
Govt. has sanctioned 1562 fodder depot out of which 713
have been operationalised. These 713 depots in the State have so far distributed more than
19055 metric tones of fodder.
Out of 140 sanctioned cattle camps 103 are operational in
which 22644 cattle are being taken care of Govt. is supporting 215 ‘gaushalas’
(cattle house) where 61481 cattle are being looked after. In a special effort relief is
being provided to 30 bulls in the Ajmer district.
The State govt. is encouraging the farmers
to grow green fodder by distribution of mini-kits of fodder seed. |
| NGOs Forty five fodder depots were opened which distributed 1314.2 metric
tones of fodder. Additionally 51 cattle camps have been opened through which 12,269 cattle
have benefited. Also NGOs have been operating 68 Goushalas where 4,059 cattle are being
taken care of. |
| Other agencies National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has
also permitted financing of fodder requirement of farmers to mitigate the problem of
fodder scarcity. Purchase of fodder and also raising of fodder crops is being allowed
under the Kisan (farmers)Credit Card scheme.
|
| Foodgrains |
|
|
The Govt. has
allocated 45,740 metric tones foodgrain for people of below poverty line (BPL) and 33,560
metric tonnes for above poverty line (APL) families. Apart from this 100000 metric tones
of food grain have been allocated under food for work programme. So far 30,033 metric
tonnes food grain has been distributed and there is additional demand of 50,000 metric
tonnes under Food for Work Programme. The Govt. has also operationalised 105 mobile Fair
Price Shops to ensure the supply of food grain and other necessary commodities in remote
areas.
|
Impact &
issues
Impact on population
Affected population and livestock statistics |
Total districts |
Affected districts |
Affected villages |
Total population |
Affected population |
Affected livestock |
32 |
31 |
30583 |
1000 million |
33 million
(approx) - 3.3 % of total human population |
40 million
(approx) |
Source: Girdawari report 2000 |
The recurrent droughts
in Rajasthan have affected the livelihoods of the people due to crop loss and water
scarcity. The human population alongwith their cattle have started migrating from southern
and western Rajasthan as the fodder and drinking water are becoming scarce. People have
started migrating to the neighboring states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana
in search of casual labour. According to newspaper reports, there have been trends of
people coming back from these states as the labour rate has gone down and it is
increasingly becoming difficult for them to survive. Reports have been received from
various sources, which state that there has been considerable reduction in the heamoglobin
levels of pregnant women and the weight of children below the age of 5.
Affected crop
statistics |
| No. of affected villages |
Percentage damage to crops |
| 19,817 |
75 % |
| 10766 |
50-74% |
| Total cropped area - 116 lac
hectares Kharif crop damaged - 89.5 lac hectares
Estimated financial loss on Kharif crop- $ 763 million
Estimated financial loss likely by damge to Rabi - $ 400
million |
Source:
Girdawari report 2000 |
Impact on crops
According to
the current statistics, in 19,817 villages, damage to the crop is more than 75% and in the
remaining 10766 villages it is between 50-74%. Due to these hostile conditions 89.5 lac
hectares of Kharif crop out of the total cropped area of 116 lac hectares have been
damaged severely with an estimated financial loss of $ 763 million. Furthermore, the Rabi
crop is likely to be affected resulting in an estimated loss of $ 400 million.
Rainfall pattern and water scarcity
Rainfall
distribution statistics in affected districts |
| Less than 60% from normal |
Between 40-60% from the normal |
Between 20-40% |
2
districts
Rajsamand
Sikar |
5 districts |
16 districts |
Source:
Girdawari report 2000 |
The
State of Rajasthan belongs to an arid (60%) and semi-arid (40%) region. In the arid
region, the average rainfall is below 400 mm and in the semi-arid region the average
rainfall ranges from 550 mm to 800mm. However, few districts do receive rainfall more than
850 mm which is extremely erratic and unreliable. The annual precipitation over most of
the state is insufficient for rainfed agriculture causing a permanent agricultural drought
even when a meteorological drought is not declared.
This in turn
affects the water resources causing severe water scarcity. Due to the overall deficit
rainfall of nearly 29% in the entire state, the major impounding reservoirs like
Rajsamand, Ramgarh, Meja, Fatehsagar and Pichhola have nearly dried up affecting the
drinking water supply to major cities, towns and villages. Deficient rainfall has also
very adversely affected the recharge of ground water acquifers, wells, tanks and other
water bodies. As time progresses, the water supply arrangements to habitations big and
small are going to be seriously aggravated till the arrival of the next monsoons in July
2001.
Year |
No. of Tankers |
No. of Villages Served |
1997-98 |
122 |
370 |
1998-99 |
319 |
2130 |
1999-2000 |
1204 |
2934 |
Source: Relief Department, GoR, Dec. 2000 |
The
following statistics related to drinking water arrangements made by GoR speak of the
seriousness of the drought this year:
Women & Drought
20 million women are directly
affected becasue of the drought in Rajasthan. |
Women especially pregnant and lactating
mothers - Women are the focal point of rural socio-economic activities. They carry out 80% of agricultural activities and farm operations and also
make available drinking water, fuel wood, fodder and other house
hold items. They are responsible fot providing basic
health care to the entire family. Women are key
players in the rural economy, industry and crafts. As an after effect of
migration, they also become responsible for taking care of cattle,
rears them and also is the local veterinary doctor, as men in the family would
have migrated in search of casual labour. Women act as social
mobilisers in the rural setting.
Women are most-affected drought victims. It
has been observed in past drought relief activities that 80%
workers were women. They are also involved as cattle
keepers whereby they travel long distances, most of
them being teenagers. Travelling and trudging long distances for collection of drinking water, fodder, fuel and other items
in turn increases their workload in household
matters. All this lead to:
 Reduction
in food availability because of inherent
biases in food distribution as it is the women
who are the first one to start skipping one meal a day.
Glaring reduction in their hemoglobin
levels and deficiency of iron, calcium and other vital
components especially in pregnant and lactating mothers due to which there is a
high incidence of nightblindness and other ailments in
women.
Increased sexual exploitation at home and at new work
places consequent to migration to new places
Empowering women
 By
focussing on the younger age group of adolescents and on the primary health of the girl
child
Facilitating the woman’s role in decision making about control the over their bodies
and fertility
Improving access to education for girls and women which has beneficial effects on the
entire population
Children especially infants and new born babies
Old
and infirm people
Especially abled and destitute
Landless labourers & Small and Marginal farmers
Acting
to eliminate all forms of violence against women
Encouraging the equitable sharing of family responsibilities
Reversing the trend of the persistent and ever increasing burden of poverty on women
Providing effective support mechanisms at the village level to ensure the right policies
for the ownership of assets by women on a sustainable basis
Issues
Ex.
Migration - The recurrent droughts in Rajasthan have affected the livelihoods of
the people due to crop loss and water scarcity. The human population alongwith their
cattle have started migrating from southern and western Rajasthan as the fodder and
drinking water are becoming scarce. People have started migrating to the neighboring
states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in search of casual labour. According
to newspaper reports, there have been trends of people coming back from these states as
the labour rate has gone down and it is increasingly becoming difficult for them to
survive. Reports have been received from various sources, which state that there has been
considerable reduction in the heamoglobin levels of pregnant women and the weight of
children below the age of 5.
Ex.
Vulnerable groups – Women etc. - Women and children are the most affected
groups in the drought. The lack of food, fodder and water in many areas is resulting in
migration of men in search for employment. This leaves the womenfolk with increased burden
to manage the household as well as trudge several kilometers to access drinking water.
This affects the health and well being of the women and children as well. Reports have
been received from various sources, which state that there has been considerable reduction
in the hemoglobin level of pregnant women and the weight of children below the age of
five. The elderly and the sick are yet another vulnerable group as they are not "fit
or healthy" enough to travel long distances to bring water or even migrate in search
for food.
|
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Rajasthan -
Drought Status
