958 Villages in Rajasthan Declared 'Severely Drought-affected'

Even though Rajasthan as a whole received 40% excess rainfall during the monsoon season this year, many parts of the state are still reeling under a long term drought. An official statement released by the Rajasthan government on Monday declared as many as 1388 villages from 13 different tehsils drought-affected.

All these villages belong to the meteorological subdivision of West Rajasthan and are located across four districts: Barmer, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Hanumangarh.

Among 1388 villages, 958 are categorised as ‘severely drought-affected’, while the other 430 are ‘moderately drought-affected’. Maximum number (632) of severely affected villages are located in Jaisalmer adding up to nearly 66% of the said category.

While east Rajasthan receives an average of more than 600 mm rainfall during monsoon, the long-period average rainfall in West Rajasthan is just 265 mm—lowest among all 36 meteorological subdivisions in the country. Even in 2018 more than 5000 villages were declared drought-affected in the region.

This year, despite recording 19% above-normal rainfall during this monsoon, many districts in West Rajasthan suffered substantial rainfall deficit. Hanumangarh recorded the maximum monsoon rain-deficit of 43% across Rajasthan. Jodhpur, on the other hand, had received 45% excess rainfall.

While Jaisalmer received normal monsoon rainfall, Barmer recorded 14% excess. Apart from Jaisalmer, Hanumangarh witnessed the highest number (182) of villages classified under ‘severe’ category, Barmer (131) and Jodhpur (13). Moreover, 297 out of 430 villages classified as moderate were from Jodhpur.

The notification states that the provisions regarding the declaration of drought will remain in force for the next six months. Under the provisions, residents of the affected region can avail financial incentives, including exemptions from local taxes.