Five districts in Uttarakhand to be declared drought-hit

Five districts in Uttarakhand are soon to be declared drought-hit, with 33% Rabi crops in all five regions said to have been destroyed in the current season.

Five districts in Uttarakhand are soon to be declared drought-hit, with 33% Rabi crops in all five regions said to have been destroyed in the current season.

Five districts in Uttarakhand are soon to be declared drought-hit. (HT File Photo)

State chief secretary Shatrughna Singh said the government is working to declare the districts drought-hit after a survey report by the state agricultural department, which said 74,000 hectares of agricultural land has been affected due to lack of water.

”Districts to be declared drought-hit are Pithoragarh, Nainital and Almora in Kumaon region and Pauri and Rudraprayag in Garhwal,” said Singh.

He said a formal announcement will be made in a day or two, following which relief works will be taken up. “Major relief works will be compensation for destroyed crops, deferring the debt repayment period of the farmers and hammering out new water schemes in the drought hit areas,” said Singh.

Compensations for the loss of crops will be provided by the state disaster management department, with a miniumum of Rs 1,000 to be paid as compensation in accordance with disaster management norms.