Christian charity gearing up to tackle drought

About 161 districts in India have been officially declared as drought-hit following scanty rainfall. Christian charity World Vision says it is gearing up to rise to the challenge of this dry season.

On Tuesday, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee warned that the country was facing the biggest drought of the century. The rain deficit, he said, had caused water shortages and further was adversely affecting agriculture in several parts of the country.

He told reporters that "161 out of 625 districts has been declared drought-hit" and sowing will be 20 per cent lower due to the weak monsoon.

World Vision India National Director, Jayakumar Christian says, "World Vision is assessing the situation and will be preparing a contingency plan as the real impact will be known by the end of the season."

The international Christian relief and development organisation is working in tandem with the government and other aid agencies to respond timely and appropriately.

The northwest region, comprising Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir continues to be worst-hit with a deficit of 42 per cent.

Jayakumar says, "This year's monsoon is playing hide and seek in India. Some states experienced floods while others faced severe drought. A total of 11 states have so far reported drought conditions of varying magnitude."

If the dry heat continues, 50 million people in 11 states including a number of areas where World Vision works will be severely affected, the aid agency expressed.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says the average monsoon rainfall has been deficient by 25% in the country for the monsoon period June 1 to August 5.

Worried that the mercury shows no sign of coming down, the government has already initiated few necessary steps to fight the situation.

On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh attended a high-level meeting to discuss the drought situation. He offered all help to the states from the Central government and said the government "should not hesitate to take strong measures and intervene in the market".

He urged state governments to draw up contingency plans to deal with the situation and keep close watch on availability of foodgrains and essential commodities. "The need is for us to act promptly, collectively and effectively," he said.

Dr. Singh revealed that rice was the worst affected crop due to the erratic monsoon. "A deficit of more than six million hectares has been reported in paddy," Singh said.