united news of india
Bhubaneswar, Sept 22: The state government is set to declare areas that have received extremely low rainfall for three consecutive weeks as drought-affected, without waiting for the crop cutting report.
Revenue and disaster management minister Maheswar Mohanty said the government has taken the decision — a first — as it would be too late if the government waited for the crop cutting report.
The minister said areas that received less than half the average normal rainfall for three consecutive weeks would be considered as ones experiencing a dry spell. Mohanty said district collectors have been asked to submit report about the rainfall in areas under their jurisdictions and that he was expecting the reports to reach the government in the first week of October.
The meteorology department, Mohanty said, has predicted more rainfall by September 30. He said the state drought monitoring cell (SDMC) under the chairmanship of Orissa state disaster management authority managing director is meeting October 10 to decide on the matter. “The collectors have been asked to submit their report early, after which a review meeting on the drought situation in state will be held October 10 and steps will be taken accordingly,” he said.
The SDMC will consider the quantum of rainfall a panchayat has received, the irrigation facilities available and the wetness of the land there, before declaring it as drought-affected. The SDMC had last met September 13 and was told that 30 blocks in 14 districts had received less than 50 per cent rainfall from August 22 to September 11. The minister said the situation has improved over the past few days and the number of blocks receiving less rainfall has gone down “from 103 to 96.”