Rajasthan: Winter rains lash most of state, heavy damage to crops

Moderate to heavy rains lashed most parts of Rajasthan during the last 36 hours. Heavy hail storms were reported in Udaipur and adjoining areas.

The rain and hailstorm have severely affected the crops of Wheat, Gram and Mustard in more than three lakh hectare area of some districts. The government has ordered a special survey of the damage to crops in the affected areas. 

As per the Met department, the western disturbance over Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan has caused rain and hailstorm activity in the state that continued for more than 36 hours in many parts of the state including Jaipur, Sikar, Ajmer, Bhilwara, Dausa, Tonk, Karauli, Bharatpur and Sawai Madhopur. Bhilwara, Nagour and Ajmer received heavy rainfall of up to 78MM at some places.

With rains in most parts of the state, hail storms were also reported in the Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Dungarpur and Banswara districts on Sunday. The roads and open areas in the region were blanketed with snow and the administration had to use machines to clear the roads.

Udaipur district administration has declared a holiday for students up to Class 5 in the district till January 31 in view of heavy rainfall and hailstorm in the district.

In the meantime, the rains and hailstorms have caused damage to crops in many places. The issue was raised in the ongoing assembly session also and MLAs demanded a special package for farmers on Monday.

The agriculture minister Lal Chand Katria in his statement in the assembly admitted that crops have been severely affected in many areas due to rain and hailstorm. "According to preliminary reports the crops in more than 3.20 lakh hectares in districts like Pali, Chittorgarh, Sirohi, and Udaipur have been damaged up to 65 per cent due to rain and hailstorm," said the minister. He said that the government has ordered a special survey of the loss of crops. 

Published on: Monday, January 30, 2023, 07:02 PM IST