Addressing the district scarcity relief committee meeting here on Sunday, Mehta said that though scarcity had not been formally declared in the rain-deficit district, the water supply board in particular should be on the alert.

Meanwhile, the district-wide and almost week-long rainfall has increased the water level in small irrigation schemes, village ponds, and the five medium irrigation dams Rundramata, Tappar, Kayla, Kaswati and Savai. But this is insufficient to ward off the scarcity condition in the border district. As per the scarcity manual, scarcity is to be declared and relief work started in the case of any taluka receiving less than 125 mm of rains.

Eight out of 10 talukas in the State's biggest border district will be declared scarcity-hit soon. These talukas are Bhuj (100 mm), Mandvi (84), Mundra (62), Anjar (42), Gandhidham (79), Nakhatrana (96), Abadasa (119) and Lakhpat (59). Bhachau and Rapar two eastern Kutch talukas have received the highest rainfall of 130 mm and 131 mm this season up to Sunday.

The border district, particularly its western part, received rainfall ranging between 200 to 400 mm last May because of a severe cyclone. But these figures could not be clubbed with the rainfall, as monsoon officially starts from June.