Dehradun, Jan. 1 -- Uttarakhand has witnessed an unusually prolonged dry spell this winter, with the month of October recording some scattered rainfall but the months of November and December have passed almost entirely without any significant precipitation. This has raised serious concerns for agriculture as well as for natural water resources across the state.
According to data available with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the state normally receives around 8 to 10 mm of rainfall in November and an average of about 14 mm in December, largely due to the impact of western disturbances. However, this year both the months have recorded negligible rainfall, making the ongoing winter one of the driest in recent years. Meteorologica...