Bihar Rainfall Deficit

The battle against severe shortage of rain has taken another superstitious turn as people of Bihar sacrifice thousands of frogs to appease rain Gods. This is the newest of bizarre rituals added to the list of frog weddings and ploughing the fields. Bihar has seen a 42 per cent deficit in rainfall this monsoon.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad today said Bihar is facing a rainfall deficit after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state last month.

Farmers in Bihar are staring into the skies, waiting. If it doesn't rain in the coming week, they say, their rice crops would wilt away. The monsoon has brought Bihar only two-thirds the normal level of rain, bringing the state to the brink of agrarian distress.

Despite a good monsoon, Bihar farmers have little to cheer about. A rainfall deficit of 37 per cent during this sowing season has led the state government to declare a drought in 33 out of the 38 districts in Bihar. This intervention came today after a Bihar government cabinet meeting.

India has seen a good monsoon this year, with a rainfall surplus of about 14 per cent across the country on Tuesday as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) records.

The battle against severe shortage of rain has taken another superstitious turn as people of Bihar sacrifice thousands of frogs to appease rain Gods. This is the newest of bizarre rituals added to the list of frog weddings and ploughing the fields. Bihar has seen a 42 per cent deficit in rainfall this monsoon.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad today said Bihar is facing a rainfall deficit after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the state last month.

Farmers in Bihar are staring into the skies, waiting. If it doesn't rain in the coming week, they say, their rice crops would wilt away. The monsoon has brought Bihar only two-thirds the normal level of rain, bringing the state to the brink of agrarian distress.

Despite a good monsoon, Bihar farmers have little to cheer about. A rainfall deficit of 37 per cent during this sowing season has led the state government to declare a drought in 33 out of the 38 districts in Bihar. This intervention came today after a Bihar government cabinet meeting.

India has seen a good monsoon this year, with a rainfall surplus of about 14 per cent across the country on Tuesday as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) records.