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Our Bureau

Chennai , Aug 2

THANKS to the excess or normal rainfall this monsoon in 29 of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions of the country, the water storage level in the 76 main reservoirs in the country is 25 per cent more than the average level recorded in the last 10 years.

Heavy rains for the week ending July 22 saw the storage level rising by 7.66 billion cubic metres (BCM) to 45.12 BCM, according to a Ministry of Agriculture data.

The storage level is also higher by 66 per cent or 17.68 BCM than last year. When compared with the level in the last 10 years, the level is higher by 9.06 BCM. The full storage level of all the major reservoirs put together is 133.02 BCM and the current level is 34 per cent of this.

Taking into account this week's rain, particularly in Maharashtra, the prospects of the levels rising further are bright.

The rise in storage level is despite the fact that five reservoirs - Somasila in Andhra Pradesh; Isapur and Yeldari in Maharashtra; Balimela and Machkund (Jalput) in Orissa - do not have utilisable water.

According to the Ministry, 344 of the 525 districts in the country received excess or normal rainfall in the third week of July.

Despite the good rainfall and rising storage level, sowing during the current kharif crop continues to be lower compared with the same period last year. Coverage of sugarcane, coarse cereals and jute is up, but it is down in the case of rice, cotton, oilseeds and pulses.

In the case of oilseeds, soyabean sowing has picked up, exceeding coverage during the same time last year. Till the third week of July, 62.84 lakh hectares (lh) had been brought under the oilseed against 58.73 last year. Groundnut sowing is down at 38.41 lh (45.40 lh), while that of sunflower has declined to 3.42 lh from 5.64 lh. Coverage of niger and sesamum is also down, while that of castor has increased.

Rice coverage, currently, is lagging behind at 143.55 lh (169.78 lh) and sowing in cotton is down to 63.52 lh (67.52 lh).

Among coarse cereals, the area under jowar (27.15 lh v 25.14 lh) and bajra (55.20 lh v 44.78 lh) has increased. The coverage of maize is down to 54.44 lh from 59.71 lh.

Sugarcane area has increased by 3.8 lh to 41.29 lh, while jute coverage is up marginally at 7.68 lh.

Coverage of pulses is down by over 10 lh mainly on account of a decline in the area under arhar (18.81 lh v 26.61 lh).

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Gujarat sets kharif sowing target at 84 lakh hectares

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