The Gazetteers Department

The oldest famine in respect of which information is available occurred in 1790 in the times of the Peshwas, causing agony to the entire district.; Khed sub-division was the worst hit. In the northern sub-divisions of Dapoli, Chiplun and Ratnagiri it lasted for about ten months. In Rajapur there was scarcity of food for four months resulting in soaring prices of most of the necessary articles. Private food houses (annachhatras) were opened to relieve the distress and grain was daily distributed in them. In a few places, the Peshwas' officers opened public relief houses.

1802-03.

The famine of 1802 affected the entire district. In Dapoli, Chiplun and Ratnagiri talukas it lasted for about fourteen months. Khed sub-division once again suffered severely. In Rajapur there was scarcity of food for about three months. In Malvan taluka the distress was great and lasted for more than a year. Eight villages in the taluka were struck with particular severity, most of their residents dying of hunger and disease and a few survivers fleeing to Goa. Private food houses (annachhatras) were opend to relieve distress and grain was distributed daily. But these houses were too few and the gifts of grain too small to alleviate the distress. In a few places, particularly in Dapoli taluka, the officers of the Peshwas opened public relief houses. Revenue was remitted in southern parts. For three years, with a view to encourage those who had left the district to return to their homes, rents were considerably lowered and creditors were prevented from recovering debts.

1824.

In 1824 a very light rainfall was followed by a complete failure of crops in high grounds and a partial failure in low rice lands. The loss due to scanty harvest was made good to some extent because of high prices of grain. However, as the general loss was considerable and as the preceding year was also unfavourable, large remissions of rent were granted. [Colonel Etheridge's Famine Report (1868), 118-121.]

1876.

In 1876, insufficient rainfall, 81 inches as against an average of 104, caused much less of crops. Public health was at stake thereby causing considerable distress. The first fall of rain in the second week of June was followed by a break, long enough to do serious injury to the young plants. The later rains entirely failed and nearly the whole of harik, from one-half to three-fourths of nagli and vari, and a quarter of the rice crop were damaged. The failure told very seriously on the lower classes, the prices of whose staple food viz., nagli, harik, and vari rose very high. To relieve the distress, repairs to the Vijaydurg, Vaghotan, and Phonda pass roads, besides those begun by the Local Fund Committee viz., four public works, constructing a road from Chiplun to Guhagar via Ibhrampur, improvements to the Phonda-Rajapur and Lanje road, and strengthening the dam on the Pendur lake were undertaken with the help of Provincial Funds. Of the total of Rs. 77,360 spent on relief works, Rs. 34,950 were debited to Local Funds and Rs. 42,410 to Provincial Funds. Happily, an unusual demand for labour sprang up in and near Bombay, and it was estimated that double the usual number or at least 1,50,000 of the poorer workers moved to Bombay for part of the fair season and returned with saving enough to last them till the next harvest (1877-78). This, together with the bumper crop of harik-the staple food of the poor-had a favourable effect in ameliorating the condition of the people.

1896-97.

The famine of 1896-97 was caused by irregular rainfall. Abundant rainfall was received till the middle of August. But beyond a few scattered showers there was practically no rain in September and October to bring kharif crops to maturity and to facilitate sowing of rabi crops. This resulted in very poor outturn and led to a general rise in prices of food grains.

1918-19.

The next famine occured in 1918 as a result of insufficient rainfall. The main feature of this period was a very early opening of the monsoon followed by abrupt breaks in rains and their final closure much before the proper time. This coupled with the occurrence of influenza epidemic as that was, at once, the harvest time of the early crops and the sowing time of the late crops led to a general reduction in area under crops, failure of their growth and scanty outturn. Since then no scarcity or famine has been recorded so far (1958).

LOCUST PLAGUES.

The district has sometimes been afflicted by locusts. The specie generally found is Orthacanthacris succinta Linn which is probably indigenous to a great part of the Western Ghats and the Satpudas wherefrom when favourable circumstances arise for their development, the flying locusts sally forth to the adjoining tableland of the Deccan. They breed in this place if favourable conditions of rain occur. In the early stage of their growth, the young ones, may cause damage but the greater part of the damage is caused by the huge swarms of red flying adults during the cold and hot season, when they fly about or are blown about by the prevailing winds and devour rabi and garden crops. Mangoes and other fruit trees are the worst sufferers.

1865-79.

In 1865 some swarms had appeared in Sawantwadi but did no harm. In 1879, however, they destroyed crop worth about Rs. 6,000 in 18 villages close to the Sahyadris.

1882-83.

The first general raid of locusts of which details are available occurred in 1882-83. Government made a serious effort to stop depredation and employed officers of several departments for organising a campaign against them. Funds were sanctioned for the payment of rewards for the destruction of locusts and their eggs, rates of payment being different for eggs, adult locusts and hoppars. The harik and nagli crops were almost destroyed as those were the only crops unreaped. In 1883 the hill crops and upland crops were seriously damaged. Remissions to the extent of Rs. 660 were granted and Rs. 19,900 were spent on rewards.

1900-01.

In 1900-01 locusts caused damage to the crops in Konkan. Rewards were granted for the destruction of locusts and their eggs. In 1901-02, though two visitations of locusts were recorded, no damage was reported. In November 1903, locusts appeared in western parts of the district and marred the season considerably. They lingered till March 1904 and damaged crops and fruit-trees. Organised efforts were commenced to destroy them. After the rains broke out, the locusts laid eggs in enormous numbers along the whole range of the Sahyadris. Hoppers appeared towards the end of July. They were mainly confined to forest regions where cultivation was scanty. They lived in the grass lands and attacked only the coarse millets and rice cultivated by forest tribes who readily took part in measures undertaken for their destruction and received some compensation for the loss of their crops in the form of rewards granted by the Government for this work. These rewards, in some cases, took the form of daily wages, while in others they were based on the weight of locusts and/or eggs destroyed. By the end of October the hoppers began to assume wings and to invade crops, but the kharif harvest was shortly reaped and hence little damage was caused. Parasites were observed to be attacking the swarms in November and in December the locusts appeared to have migrated southwards to Sawantwadi when their number declined considerably. In March and April as in previous years, when they had issued forth and migrated northwards and eastwards, the swarms were comparatively very few in number and were smaller in size. Hoppers in the 1904-05 season were rare and confined to certain parts of the district. During September-November 1905-06 locusts appeared in three talukas and caused negligible damage to standing crops.

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