A possible drought is threatening a large part of Jharkhand.

Inadequate crop coverage caused by insufficient rainfall till now has aggravated the situation in nearly two-thirds of the state.

“Total crop coverage in the state till July was the lowest in the past five years,” agriculture director Nisha Oraon informed when contacted, adding the senior officials were reviewing the situation and taking necessary steps.

Total area covered in the state by major crops such as paddy, maize, pulses, oilseed and coarse cereals till July-end was the lowest in the past 5 years, she elaborated.

Against a target area of 18 lakh hectares, paddy was sown in just 30 per cent area till August 15 which was less than one-third of 91.04 per cent area that was covered in 2021, she further informed, adding the total area covered by major crops this year was 37.19 per cent, compared to 83.07 per cent covered last year.

According to information shared by the Ranchi Meteorological Centre, all the 24 districts received less than normal rainfall since June 1 and the state recorded 38 per cent rain deficit till Thursday.

But East and West Singbhum districts with 3 and 8 per cent rain deficit were treated as within normal range as the deficit was below 20 per cent. While five of the rest 22 — Chatra, Godda, Jamtara, Pakur and Sahebganj — with over 60 per cent deficit were considered as receiving scanty rainfall, other 17 received deficit rainfall ranging between 24 and 57 per cent.

Though the met office forecast possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in some parts of Jharkhand on Friday and Saturday due to a possible depression, the scenario may not change dramatically, many felt.

But Jharkhand may not be declared a drought-hit state immediately as there are certain evaluation to be done according to the norms specified in the drought manual of 2016, informed a senior official.

In the first step, certain mandatory indicators such as rainfall deviation, standardised precipitation index and dry spell are considered, the official explained, adding the second step is taken up and impact indicators are examined if the drought trigger sets off after the first step.

Impact indicators include crop area sown, vegetation index as available through remote sensing, moisture content in soil and hydrological factors such as reservoir storage index, he added.

“Departmental officers visited all the districts and evaluated the situation,” agriculture director Oraon said, adding the situation in 180 of the total 260 blocks of the state was a matter of concern.

Meanwhile, the state agriculture department advised the farmers to opt for alternative crops that have short duration maturity and drought resistant quality.