Rain not enough to end drought -Radheshyam Jadhav

-The Times of India

Pune: Torrential rain over some areas in the last few days has helped soothe the parched state, but experts advise that this will not end the spate of droughts.

Those in the know point out that lack of rainfall does not necessarily lead to a crippling shortage of water, but it results from a lack of policies, missing drought-proofing infrastructure and lackadaisical institutional mechanisms.

"It will be a normal monsoon this year, meteorological experts and weather-watchers have proclaimed. But will that end the spate of crippling droughts that India has been struggling with? No, we say. Lack of policies, drought-proofing infrastructure and institutional mechanisms are factors that turn even a minor rainfall deficit into a severe drought. In fact, 33 per cent of India's districts are chronically drought-affected; ironically, most of them receive an annual rainfall of 750-1,100mm," states a note written by New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

"Drought in the 1990s was essentially the drought of a poor India. The 2016 drought is of a richer and water-guzzling India. This classless drought makes for a crisis that is more severe and calls for more complex solutions. The severity and intensity of drought is not about lack of rainfall, it is about the lack of planning and foresight, and criminal neglect. Drought is human-made." CSE's director Sunita Narain warned.

Suneel Joshi, state coordinator of Jal Biradari told TOI, "Though parts of the state have seen good rainfall, most of Marathwada is dry. Even if the parched area receives good rainfall the government and the administration must ensure that every drop of water is conserved. Also, it is important to decide the cropping pattern and curb sugar cane cultivation. There are lessons to learn from this year's drought and if we fail to do so, next year we will face a similar situation."

The study, conducted by advocacy group South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has observed that Marathwada region cultivated sugar cane, a water-guzzling crop, in face of drought. It claimed that if 50% water being used to cultivate sugar cane in the region was diverted to produce pulses, it would mean livelihood security for over 21 lakh farmers as against 1.1 lakh sugar cane farmers supported as of now.

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