Panel suggests national drought management code

NEW DELHI: In the face of one of the worst droughts that hit the country, a panel of experts has suggested framing of a national drought management code consisting of inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional programmes in areas of vital concern to food security and agricultural progress. The Steering Committee for the 10 th Plan in Agriculture, chaired by eminent scientist MS Swaminathan, has recommended developing a public policy package in the form of a drought management code involving regulation through appropriate legislation, education and social mobilisation through local level democratic institutions like panchayats apart from technological measures. Taking note of immense water shortage, the committee said that the activities related to augmentation of water supply should be intensified through steps like rainwater harvesting, watershed management and ground water recharge. Steps should also be taken to implement the national water policy and the conjunctive and economic use of available water resources, it said. The efficiency of managing demand for water should be maximised through a mix of incentives and disincentives, the committee said, adding a water literacy and capacity building movement should be launched to make conservation and sustainable and equitable use of water resources everybody''s business. Stressing the role of weather forecasting, the committee said the national capacity in weather forecasting should be enhanced and weather predictions should be proactively used in safeguarding crops, farm animal and livelihood security and should be user-oriented. One of the most important steps in battling drought is to arrange for the timely supply of inputs like seeds of alternative crops and appropriate farm implements and machinery to facilitate timely sowing and water harvesting measures, the committee said. Special attention should also be paid to on-farm and non-farm employment since it is lack of purchasing power that ultimately leads to hunger, the committee said, adding short-term mitigation efforts should be organised in such a manner that they confer long-term ecological and economic benefits apart from setting up community food banks. The committee also stressed the need for bringing about synergy between technology and public policy and avoiding subsidies which can result in ecologically undesirable consequences like free electricity induced unsustainable pumping of ground water. The committee called for intensifying of steps to save from drought farm animals upon which the livelihood and nutritional security of millions of poor depends, by organising fodder and feed banks and by promoting sylvi-pastoral systems. Methods could also be developed for utilising millions of tonnes of rice straw available in Panjab for use in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as cattle feed by enriching them with urea and molasses, it said. It suggested establishing a virtual university for climate management for imparting climate literacy and disseminating information on monsoon behaviour and on managing adverse situations in the rea of precipitation and water availability will give timely information and strengthen coping mechanism.

Panel suggests national drought management code

In the face of one of the worst droughts that hit the country, a panel of experts has suggested framing of a national drought management code consisting of inter-disciplinary and inter-institutional programmes in areas of vital concern to food sec...

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