Drought in 2016 in India

1. No rain, no water, no choice.

“One can manage without food. How can anyone live without water?”

2. Hundreds of millions of people in India are grappling with one of the nation’s worst droughts since independence, following two years of poor rainfall and the onset of intense summer heat. The upcoming monsoon is expected to bring some relief, but a longer term challenge looms from competition for scarce groundwater and surface supplies among farmers, industries and cities.

3. Certain regions in India are drought prone. These areas receive an annual rainfall upto 60 cm and hence are severely affected where the monsoons aren’t enough.

4. The Irrigation Commission of India has identified 67 districts in the country that are drought prone. Some of the states that have been identified as drought prone include Rajasthan, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Northern Karnataka and Maharashtra.

5. Major Reasons for Droughts in India

-Inadequate or failure of monsoons is a major reason for droughts in India.
-Lack of water vapour in the atmosphere
-Climate change

6. Drought Impact- The Way Out:

-Unlike earthquakes or cyclones, droughts can be predicted much in advance. They give ample time for the State authorities to prepare for and cope with the problems raised by drought. The quantity and duration of rainfall can be predicted by Meteorological Department with fair degree of accuracy.
-Forest cover should be increased through plantation.
-Rain water harvesting projects executed through community cooperation have been a great success in some parts of Rajasthan. The success model need to be repeated in other regions too.
-Drought Management strategies should be made popular through involvement of the community.
-Crop insurance schemes should be introduced.

7. Steps Taken by Government

Announcements made in Budget 2016-17
• Every block in drought affected areas will be taken up as an intensive Block under Deen Dayal Antyodaya Mission
• Cluster Facilitation Teams (CFT) will be set up under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to ensure water conservation and natural resource management.
• Assistance from NDRF: In 2015-16, various states had submitted requests on drought, seeking financial assistance from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).
• Around 13500 crore rupees were approved from NDRF for drought relief in 10 different states affected by drought.
• Maharashtra was given the highest amount of relief (3049 crore rupees) followed by Karnataka with 2263 crore rupees.
• Formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) will be speeded up to promote multiple livelihoods

8. Programmes with potential to aid Drought Management

• National Hydrology Project
• Neeranchal National Watershed Project
• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana