Uneven distribution of rainfall across India has created a crisis for farmers who deal with the loss of agricultural harvest each year.
Assam’s Dhemaji district is the best example of the flood-drought erratic cycle that goes on every year.
According to a Times of India report, Rs 5.5 crore will be spent on an area of 1,000 square kilometres informed U.P irrigation minister, Dharmpal Singh.
Singh told media persons in Varanasi that the project will begin in Mahoba, in the Bundelkhand region and will benefit farmers in the entire district as well as other drought-stricken areas.
Apart from the artificial rainfall assistance, Uttar Pradesh is also likely to get 22 percent of water from the Ken river, a tributary of Yamuna that flows in the Bundelkhand region as well as the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
"The state government is working on river restoration on a war footing.
Work is on for Gomti and Varuna," Singh told TOI.
The engineers in the irrigation department have been asked to remove the encroachments from the bed of Varuna river and to complete the channelization process so that water can be extracted as early as possible.
Funds have been allocated and work has started on four pending irrigation projects on central Ganga canal, Surya canal, Bansagar, and Arjun project.
Facebook Image: AFP

PHOENIX (AP) — Progress is being made in talks toward a set of agreements for cities, farmers and tribes to share in Colorado River water cutbacks, according to Arizona water officials.
The Arizona Republic reports that the state water officials also want to join in a larger proposed deal to prevent Lake Mead from dropping even further.
Two officials leading the talks said they’re optimistic about finalizing agreements within Arizona in November so the state Legislature can sign off in January.
The proposed three-state plan would involve California, Arizona and Nevada jointly taking less water out of Lake Mead to give the reservoir a boost.
Based on Arizona’s priority system of water rights, complying with the plan without an additional adjustment would cut off water for farmers who depend on deliveries from the Central Arizona Project.
Tom Buschatzke, director of the state Department of Water Resources, said the idea is to reach an agreement that "more equitably spreads around the pain and the benefits" of the drought-contingency plan in Arizona.
Central Arizona Project General Manager Ted Cooke also said he’s optimistic about finishing a deal during the next two months.
"Nobody wants to see that hardship come to anybody, but there is going to be hardship and we need to spread it around."
Under the current rules, if the reservoir’s water level reaches 1,075 feet above sea level at the end of any year, the federal government will declare a shortage and supplies to Arizona and Nevada will be cut back.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press.

All of New South Wales is declared drought affected, with 57 per cent of Queensland also facing the same crippling struggle.
National Farmers Federation President Fiona Simson tells Steve Price they’re working with the government to improve access to the Farm Household Allowance.
An expert panel is reviewing the weekly payment.
The application process has been criticised, with the hefty amount of paperwork required being one of the reasons why farmers aren’t applying.
Ms Simson says it needs to be more accessible and is calling for it to be streamlined.
“We’re hopeful that we’re close to a solution shortly.” She also says it’s “too difficult to list” the worst affected areas.
“Definitely there are areas that have been in drought for a long time and they’re easy to list, but I think they haven’t been much in the news because they’ve just been in drought for so long.
“It’s very widespread.” Ms Simson says despite the drought, there are some pockets that will turn a crop.
She tells Steve one key factor they’re working on is water supply.
“As we get hotter, of course, water is going to become increasingly important and making sure people have running water in their houses, fresh water to drink.” Click PLAY below to hear the full interview

South Australia is officially in drought, according to the State Government.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetstone made the declaration as the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, South Australia (PIRSA) reduced its crop forecast earlier this week.
The announcement is the first time the Government has formally acknowledged a drought in South Australia.
For months farmers across the state have reported some of the driest conditions in recent memory, many destocking and prematurely cutting crops while others faced water and feed shortages.
Opposition primary industries spokesman Eddie Hughes said a lot of the measures introduced were "worthwhile initiatives", but said the move came late for some SA farmers.
"I can’t help but note, in the eastern states over 60 councils in drought-affected areas received, or are going to receive, financial support to help in their communities.
A ‘s***house’ season The acknowledgement of drought was welcomed by Livestock SA’s chief executive Andrew Curtis, who said the measures put in place by the Government were a "good start".
PIRSA’s crop forecast said that rainfall during grain growing season — measured from April to August — was either below average or "very much below average" in most South Australian agricultural areas.
It said more than half of the North East and North West Pastoral areas, which together cover more than 160,000 square kilometres, received below-average rainfall in the six months to August.
"We’ve got 10-15 per cent of the state that is the worst on record in terms of rainfall," he said.

Copyright © 2018 Albuquerque Journal The Rio Grande is again looking puny where it crosses through Albuquerque as persistent drought continues to afflict the Southwest.
But water groups around the state have pulled together to keep it flowing, at least until the end of the water year.
“They have enough, I believe, to get through the end of October, if need be.” John Fleck, director of the University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program, said natural flows of the Rio Grande dried up in July, and it’s still flowing only because of water from the San Juan-Chama Project, which allows for the transport of Colorado River Basin water to supplement the Rio Grande.
The Rio Grande is in dire straits throughout its run from Colorado through New Mexico, Fleck said.
Frey said this year’s die-offs due to low water levels have occurred in the Chama, Brazos, Mora and Pecos rivers, as well as various lakes and ponds around the state.
But just 0.22 percent of the state is drought-free.
The exceptional drought area in the northwestern corner of the state showed a little growth, with more than 15 percent of the state now in the worst class of drought.
Fontenot said there’s a 65 to 70 percent chance of an El Niño weather pattern moving in during the coming months, which typically brings more precipitation.
But even if El Niño does arrive, it isn’t certain which areas it will affect and how much precipitation it’ll bring.
“We had an El Niño forecast here two years ago, and it was great for about two months until the jet stream moved farther north and winter kind of turned off.”

Dawn Report Updated September 28, 2018 SANGHAR: Scores of drought-stricken residents of Achhro Thar, an extended part of Thar proper, have demanded the Sindh government should immediately supply them water and fodder for their starving livestock and relief goods for the equally affected humans.
They told journalists here on Thursday that drought had badly affected humans as well as livestock population in this part of the Thar desert, which had already been declared drought-hit by the government.
They said that majority of the population in Achhro Thar was concentrated in two union councils of Khipro taluka, comprising over 200 villages, where villagers as well as their cows, goats and camels had been braving acute shortage of fodder and water since 2011, resulting in diseases in many animals and deaths of others.
Livestock was mainstay of desert economy and majority of poor Tharis depended on their cattle for sustenance.
According to a rough estimate, livestock population was said to be around two million in Achhro Thar, they said.
They said that about 20 per cent of the population had migrated to canal-irrigated areas along with their livestock and those who did not leave were facing shortages of food and water.
They demanded the government urgently provide them water and fodder for their livestock as the meagre grass in the desert had already withered away due to sparse rain.
They said that they were feeding their livestock chaff and gram powder bought from markets in Khipro and Chhor just to keep them alive till the arrival of rains or direly-needed succour from the government.
114 dehs in Jamshoro declared calamity-hit HYDERABAD: Sindh government has declared 114 dehs of Jamshoro district calamity-hit due to less than required rainfall and food and water shortages this monsoon season.
The mountainous Jamshoro region is facing drought-like conditions like Tharparkar.

According to the Drought Monitor, many areas across the High Plains continue to experience dry conditions.
“Extreme drought was introduced in Eddy County in east central North Dakota, with adjoining extreme and moderate drought each extending slightly farther south to southern Foster County.
Some producers have started feeding their cattle, which typically does not happen until first snowfall.
McHenry County, which borders Ward County to the east, lies within a band of dry conditions ranging from the Canadian border to the Grand Forks area.
About two-thirds of Ward County, all of Renville and nearly all of Bottineau County is among those areas included in the severe drought category, which has expanded slightly from a week ago.
Precipitation so far this year at the Minot Airport is reported at 9.32 inches, or 5.40 inches below the long-term average.
Hettinger, in southwest North Dakota, is in a similar situation as Minot with official precipitation for the year listed at 8.40 inches, also 5.40 inches less than normal.
Dickinson reports 13.59 inches of precipitation so far this year, .12 inches above normal.
Williston has received .33 inches more than its yearly average to date.
Turtle Lake reports 16.94 inches of precipitation, more than two inches above average there.

According to U.S. Drought Monitor for Sept. 25 released Sept. 27, the combination of energetics from northern Mexico lifting toward the Southern Rockies/Great Plains and enhanced moisture from the remains of a tropical depression led to heavy precipitation events across the south-central U.S., particularly notable as a frontal zone stalled.
Significant rain fell across much of the South, leading to much improved drought conditions in many areas.
As summer comes to a close and fall begins, many areas across the High Plains continue to experience dry conditions.
In eastern Kansas, extreme drought (D3) was extended into the northern half of Osage County as well as southwestward into northeastern Marion County.
Extreme drought was also introduced in Eddy County in east central North Dakota, with adjoining extreme (D2) and moderate (D1) drought each extending slightly farther south to southern Foster County.
These counties have each received less than 25 percent of their typical precipitation over the past two months.
Among some of the local observances: “Soybean yields are disappointing.
Grasshoppers are thick in some areas of the county, damaging some late season crops.
Some producers have started feeding their cattle, which typically does not happen until first snowfall.
Producer are having to haul cattle home from pastures”.

CUSTER COUNTY – The latest drought monitor released Thursday shows more than 85 percent of the State of Colorado is under unusually dry conditions.
The worst affected areas are the 20 counties in the southwest corner of the state where all or parts of each county is experiencing exceptional drought.
An example of the impact can be seen in Custer County at the Deweese Reservoir.
Large areas of dry cracked mud from what used to be lake bed now encircle the remaining water stored here.
Fisherman Kenny Long came up to Westcliffe from Pueblo to escape the heat for a few days.
He’s fished here for the better part of 40 years and said he’s never seen the base of the dam before.
It’s managed by the Deweese Dye Ditch Company in Canon City.
The business began over a century ago to provide fresh water from Grape Creek to agricultural customers in Fremont County.
A dry weather pattern over the Rockies this spring melted the mountain snowpack earlier than usual.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife now keeps the lake stocked with fish.

The portion of Upstate New York considered abnormally dry (yellow) increased this week (left) over last week, while the areas of moderate drought (tan) and severe drought (orange) remained the same.U.S.
Drought Monitor Syracuse, N.Y. — While the southern part of Upstate New York got drenched again over the past week, the rain stayed away from the Adirondacks and North Country.
Today’s weekly report of the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the drought status is unchanged in parts of the Adirondacks, and Tug Hill and the North Country have gotten drier.
Farmers were already hurting from the lack of rainfall, and their fields were "suffering serious crop stress," said Cornell Cooperative Extension’s North Country team.
"Some hay fields and pastures have come back a little bit from the late summer slouch, but not all."
About 2 percent of New York state, mostly in Essex County, remains in a severe drought, the report said.
The percentage of the state that is abnormally dry increased from 8 percent last week to 20 percent this week.
The report is based on rainfall and conditions as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, so any rain that fell after that wouldn’t be included in today’s report.
The Southern Tier received soaking rain while the northern half of the state got little.
Since June 1, Elmira has received 34 inches of rain, while Saranac Lake has had just 13 inches.