3 Jan : The government has said it will soon bring out an exhaustive manual for effective management of drought mitigation and relief measures.
The manual, being prepared by the National Institute of Disaster Management, would provide an effective guideline for administrators, experts and the civil society to implement drought mitigation and relief measures, and alleviate distress of the drought-affected people, an official statement said.
Significantly, the manual is being prepared at a time when nearly half of the country has been hit by drought – the worst since 1972 — after the South-West monsoon skipped as many as 316 districts in 13 states, hitting farm production.
The statement said the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation had requested the Institute to write the manual, reflecting a comprehensive and coordinated approach to management of drought and recommending measures for effective drought relief and mitigation.
The manual would draw upon the past experience of drought management and suggest measures to alleviate its impact.
India has witnessed 7 major droughts in the last 30 years and 22 in the past 120 years. Increased climate variability and global warming has made rainfall pattern inconsistent and unpredictable leading to a rise in recurrence of droughts.
Droughts have long-term impacts, affecting overall growth of the economy.