Centre declares Gujarat’s 17 districts drought affected, GoI Informs Parimal Nathwani in Rajya Sabha

Ahmedabad, 20 March 2013

Ministry of Agriculture has declared 85 districts in the country as drought affected during 2012-13 due to shortage of rain. Out of these, 132 talukas of 17 districts are in Gujarat. The union minister of water resources Mr. Harish Ravat stated in the rajya sabha in reply to a question from Mr. Parimal Nathwani. The other states where certain districts declared drought-affected include Karnataka-26 districts, Kerala four districts, Maharashtra sixteen districts and Rajasthan twelve districts.

According to the minister’s statement, the 17 districts of Gujarat facing drought include Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Amreli, Anad, Banashkantha, Bharuch, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar, Junagadh, Kheda, Kutchh, Mehsana, Patan, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar and Vadodra. Karnataka is in severe grip of drought water-scarcity as 142 talukas of 26 districts from total 30 districts of the state face acute water shortage.

The minister also stated that, water being state subject, planning, and execution and funding of water resources projects was within the purview of respective State Governments. However, union government provided technical and financial assistance to state governments under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program (AIBP), Command Area Development and Water Management Program (CAD & WM) and Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of Water Bodies, he said.

He further said that under AIBP, all these programmes were being reformed and upscaled during XII plan. Drought mitigation measures like water conservation and early completion of projects were also planned. In addition, some short term measures like drilling of hand pump bores, deep tube wells, new wells, deepening of wells, rejuvenation of wells, tankers support are undertaken by state Governments. Long term measures like drought proofing and other multi-directional activities to support drinking water were also planned to fight menace of water scarcity, he added.