Bhubaneswar: In an effort to provide advisory to the framers on drought like situation, the state government has decided to set up a Farmers’ Advisory Service Cell in the agriculture department.
The decision was taken at a review meeting, presided over by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasaad Padhi on preparedness to tackle drought-like situation in the state.
As present, the State Draught Monitoring Cell (SDMC) is operating from the office of Orissa State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) to monitor the climatic condition.
The Farmers Advisory Service Cell would be set up to advise farmers about appropriate measures required to be taken as per weather conditions, an official said.
The advisory cell will issue agricultural advice on the basis of readings of weather and soil moisture condition which is availed from Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and automatic rain gauges (ARG), the official said.
It was also decided to set up 6500 AWS and ARGs in various parts of the state through OSDMA and departments like water resource, agriculture, Central Relief Commissioner and India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The Chief Secretary further directed the officials to establish the AWS and ARGs on the ground in secure locations like on the premises of gram panchayat offices and power stations. These stations would have GIS coordinates.
Under the new system, SDMC will monitor the data received from these automated stations. Other parameters like rainfall deviation, dry spell situation, vegetation indices, and crop situation, soil moisture and hydrological indices will be integrated and analysed scientifically on regular basis for advance assessment of any draught like situation.
Padhi directed seven departments – agriculture and farmers’ empowerment, water resources, food supplies and consumer welfare, energy, housing and urban development, fisheries and animal resource development, panchayati raj and drinking water and IMD – to nominate nodal officers who would coordinate with SDMC and furnish required data on weekly basis.
Meanwhile, an MoU has been signed between the state government and Karnataka Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre for mutual exchange of knowledge, technical knowhow and subject expertise for more effective monitoring of draught units. An expert committee has also been constituted in SDMC to provide technical advice and recommendations, they added.
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