Record monsoon rain turns Rajasthan's desert lush green

JAISALMER: Rajasthan's desert region has gone from grey to green in little more than a month. In a dramatic late surge in the monsoon here, the threat of drought that loomed large over the region in mid-August has given way to gushing rivers and water bodies filled to the brim in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts.

As on September 18, monsoon rainfall in western Rajasthan was 15% above normal, almost all of it coming since the second week of August. As late as August 22, the region had a rain deficit of 25%, with most villages facing severe water crisis that prompted the state government to declare a drought.

It hasn't stopped raining since. So much so that many places were faced with problems of water-logging. Jaisalmer on an average gets 165mm of rain but this year the figures reached to 220.7mm.

Weekly deviations from normal rains in the district between August 8 and September 12 were 268%, -44%, 37%, 300% and 381%. The story was no different in Barmer, which has recorded 202mm of rain.

Ironically, when a central study team visited the region on September 5 to take the stock of drought, the rains had not till then showed its full measure. The situation had prompted team leader U K Singh to remark, "There will be no crops. The rains did not occur on time and farmers are faced with a lot of problem."

But no sooner had the team returned, the heavens opened up. There was water logging in low lying areas, roads were flooded and the sand was swept under railway tracks. People here are now praying for the rains to stop. There is a good crop but more rains might ruin it.

The desert in twin district of Barmer is more green than it has ever been. According to Dr J P Singh, a scientist with the Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), "This could be a sign of climate change. In times to come, the cultivation time may shift."

This year's pattern — heavy rain in the second half of the season — has more or less been the norm in the past three-four years. As a result, many desert villages in the region are looking greener than ever before.

District collector Shuchi Tyagi said the late surge in rains has solved the problem of fodder and water. It is hard to imagine that the threat of drought loomed in this very region a little more than a month ago.