NEW DELHI: Around 235 districts across the country face the prospect of drought this year as the monsoon appears headed for a below-normal performance, with the season’s deficit currently at 6.2% of normal.
These districts, accounting for 37% of India’s 630 districts for which rain data is available, have monsoon shortfall of at least 20%, with nine show acute deficits of 60% or more, data from the India Meteorological Department reveals.
A majority of the distress districts lie in the hinterland, in a swathe running through Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Vidarbha. UP, Haryana and MP are the hardest hit states, showing rain deficits of 31%, 28% and 25%, respectively.