South-West monsoon has brought cheers to farmers in Gujarat as the state has received 100.85 per cent of the annual average rainfall till Wednesday even as the monsoon withdrawal is still about a month away.

All the districts of the State received remarkable rains during the last 24 hours, with Saurashtra and South Gujarat receiving the maximum rains.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rainfall in parts of State till September 1. IMD has issued a forecast of heavy rainfall at isolated places in South Gujarat, heavy to very heavy rains in Saurashtra and Kutch during August 31. The administration has also advised fishermen not to venture into sea as the coast is likely to be rough in the next 24 hours.

Deputy chief minister, Nitin Patel greeted the people of Gujarat for satisfactory rainfall. "The state's season's average rainfall is 810 mm, while we have received 816.87 mm rainfall till date. This is over 100 per cent of the season's average. This will immensely benefit agricultural crops such as paddy, cotton, groundnut and pulses. Also this will improve the fodder availability," he said.

What brings the cheer for farmers is the storage levels at the key reservoirs in the state. Out of the 203 dams, 43 are 100 per cent full with High Alert warning, while 48 dams are showing storage level of 80-99 per cent.

The lifeline of agriculture in Gujarat, Sardar Sarovar Project on Narmada is 59 per cent full as on August 30. The availability of water is set to help sowing for rabi crop.

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Published on August 30, 2017