With droughts and low rainfall becoming a recurring phenomenon in India because of climate change and global warming which severely hurts the country?s farm output, the central government on Monday released an exhaustive manual for practical management of drought mitigation and relief measures.
?The manual is expected to prove an effective practical guideline for administrators, experts and civil society in implementing drought mitigation and relief measures and for alleviating distress of drought affected people,? an official statement said. The manual released by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, draws upon the rich and diverse past experience of drought management and suggests an extensive list of procedures and measures that need to be taken for alleviating the impact of drought.
India has witnessed 22 major droughts in the past 20 years and 7 droughts during the last three decades alone, which not only impact farm output, but also leads to shortage of drinking water, fodder deficiency and low water in reservoirs. Of the 22 major droughts, last seven have occurred during 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000 and 2002. In 2009, 14 States faced drought in 334 districts.
Evidently, effective and comprehensive management of droughts encompassing early warning, monitoring, relief and mitigation is a major concern in the domain of public administration, the statement added. The department of agriculture and cooperation had requested the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) to prepare a manual reflecting a comprehensive and coordinated approach to management of drought recommending measures.
Last month, a parliamentary panel has directed the agriculture ministry to re-work its drought management and drought monitoring set up with adequate powers and expertise in view of the severity and impact of this year?s low monsoon and also to adequately prepare for such future exigencies.