Bijapur district, known for its
perennial drought, received higher
than usual rainfall in April. It
received 56 mm rainfall in April,
against the average of 31 mm.
Except for Bijapur, the other four
taluks - Indi, Sindagi, Muddebihal
and Basavana Bagewadi - received
more rainfall than usual in the last
month.
While Basavana Bagewadi received
50.30 mm against the usual
amount of 4 mm, Indi received
94.60 mm as against 27mm,
Muddebihal 55.60 mm as against
33mm and Sindagi 46.80 as against
24 mm. Bijapur taluk received 31.50
mm as against 37 mm.
Usually the district receives 3 mm
rainfall each in January and
February, 5 mm in March and 20
mm in April. But this year, the
rainfall in January was nil, 4.8 mm
in February, 35.7 mm in March and
15.5 in April.
Thus there was more rainfall in
February and March but less in
January and April.
More rainfall, however, brought
havoc. Lightning killed one person
each in Gotakakhandaki village in
Muddebihal taluk, and in Anjutagi,
Gornal, Hattalli and Lalasang
villages of Indi taluk.
Two buffaloes in Chikkarugi village
and another in Madari village of
Sindhagi taluk became its victims
on May 4.
The district witnessed devastating
hailstorm and rainfall in February
and March.
In Devar Hipparagi village of
Sindhagi taluk, two people died
when a house collapsed.
Besides, 222 animals-four oxen,
five cows, seven buffaloes, 54
sheep, 52 goats and 100 hens-died
in the hailstorm and rain. Also, 736
houses were partially damaged.
The rain and hailstorm damaged
standing agriculture crops ready
for harvesting in almost every
taluk, with Indi, Bijapur and
Sindhagi being the worst hit.
The break-up of crops lost is
jowar (millet) on 55,581 hectares
worth Rs 90.04 crore, maize on
15,714 hectares worth Rs 8.66
crore, wheat on 28,962 hectares
worth Rs 48-87 crore, Bengal gram
(chicken pea) on 37,745 hectares
worth Rs 100.16 crore, sugar cane
on 4,216 hectares worth Rs 105.40
crore, cotton on 4,265 hectares
worth 30.70 crore and oil seeds on
459 hectares worth 64.26 lakh.
Besides, nearly 75,384 tonnes of
grape crop ready for harvesting on
4,188 hectares worth Rs 196 crore,
4,125 tonnes of pomegranate on
375 hectares worth Rs 33 crore,
73,161 tonnes of lemon on 2,927
hectares worth Rs 87.79 crore,
10,504 tonnes of onion worth Rs
10,50 crore, 5,179 tonnes of banana
worth Rs 5.18 crore and 13,575
tonnes of vegetable worth Rs 5.31
crore were lost in the hailstorm
and unseasonal rain.
The government gave
compensation to the families of
those killed by lightning, but for
the large number of farmers whose
standing crops were lost,
compensation has still been a
mirage.
http://m.deccanherald.com/content/404822/in-drought-hit-bijapur-rain.html/