Page 3 - Drought

Israel to begin desalination program in Lakshadweep today: What it means

The Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) or desalination program is a popular technique adopted by many countries to tackle the issue of scarce water resources

Andhra Pradesh Oppn questions govt's handling of Cyclone Michaung, drought

The roundtable meeting, attended by leaders from various parties, presented several demands, which included recognition of cyclone, drought damage as national calamities and immediate aid allocation

Kharge asks Centre to release Rs 18,171 crore for Karnataka drought relief

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge Wednesday asked the Central government to release Rs 18,171 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for Karnataka reeling under the impact of severe drought. Raising the matter in the House during the Zero Hour, the Congress president said Karnataka is grappling with the most severe drought in 123 years and the damage to crops is estimated at over Rs 35,162 crore. According to him, the damage to crops ranges from 40-90 per cent. Kharge said the state government has sought Rs 18,171 crore from the NDRF to help the affected people. "This financial support is crucial for providing input subsidies, gratuitous relief and implementing other immediate growth measures due to low rainfall (in Karnataka)," the senior Congress leader said. He further highlighted that water levels in various reservoirs have reached an alarmingly low mark and there may also be a shortage of drinking water in the coming days. Kharge also

Maharashtra's farmers thirst for a trickle of hope amid water crisis

Currently, numerous individuals across villages in the state are squarely dependent on external sources of water, such as tankers, to quench their drinking water needs

Over 26% of India affected by drought conditions, says US weather body

In its Global Climate Report for October, NCEI said that almost all states have parts that have been affected by drought, except Rajasthan and Punjab

K'taka CM writes to Shah, Sitharaman to expedite drought relief funds

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to expedite the process of releasing the drought relief funds to the state. In separate letters to the three Central ministers, Siddaramaiah highlighted the dismal rainfall this year which was the lowest in the last 122 years. The chief minister pointed out that out of 236 taluks, 223 have been declared drought hit in Karnataka. Among them, 196 are categorised as severely drought affected. Noting that Karnataka has estimated a loss of Rs 35,162.05 crore, Siddarmaiah said the state government has sought Rs 18,171.44 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for undertaking drought relief measures in the state. The chief minister pointed out that there are 52.73 lakh small and marginal farmers with a land holding of less than two hectares, who are most impacted by drought as the majority of t

Combating air pollution with artificial rain: Cloud seeding explained

The Delhi govt has announced it would initiate cloud seeding to tackle air pollution in the national capital

Siddaramaiah asks ministers to study drought situation; to submit report

The direction came as the state faces one of the worst droughts, where out of 236 taluks, 216 have been declared drought-hit due to inadequate rainfall

Karnataka govt seeks Rs 17,901 crore drought relief funds from Centre

The Karnataka government on Wednesday demanded Rs 17,901.73 crore in funds from the Centre to compensate farmers affected due to drought in the Kharif season this year. Karnataka Agriculture Minister N Chaluvaraya Swamy, Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge, and Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda met Union Agriculture Secretary Manoj Kumar Ahuja and Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla separately and updated them about the drought situation in Karnataka. The three state ministers are also members of the Karnataka Cabinet sub-committee on drought management. Briefing the media after the meeting, Byregowda said, "We have sought a total drought relief of Rs 17, 901.73 crore as per the NDRF norms. We have requested the central government to clear the funds at the earliest. As of September 22, the state as a whole recorded 26 per cent deficit rainfall that led to an estimated agriculture and horticulture crop loss in about 45.55 lakh hectares during the kharif season, he said. The sta

Karnataka briefs central team visiting state to assess drought situation

The Karnataka government on Wednesday informed the 10-member inter-ministerial central team (IMCT), which is on a four-day visit to take stock of the drought situation, that this time the state is facing a "green drought", and requested that the assessment be made based on factors like crop growth and yield. The IMCT, led by the Joint Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, today met the Cabinet Subcommittee on Disaster Management -- consisting of the state's cabinet ministers and top officials -- and followed it up by meeting Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The team will visit drought-hit districts such as Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Gadag, Koppal, Ballari, Vijayanagar, Chikballapur, Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Davangere and Bengaluru Rural. "We have discussed the drought situation in detail with the central team and have given them the entire picture of its effect, especially on the farmers and their financial condition. We have also shared with them .

Panama Canal drought and how it is impacting global trade, supply chain

The Panama Canal Authority has warned that water restrictions may continue into 2024, making it important for shipowners to create a contingency plan that does not further disrupt global supply chain

Karnataka govt to decide on announcing drought-hit taluks on Sep 4: CM

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the state government will decide on declaring taluks beset by deficit rainfall as drought-affected areas on September 4. He said 113 taluks have already been identified as hit by drought, and 73 more may get added to the list where a joint survey will be carried out. "There has been deficit rainfall this year. In June, there was about 56 per cent shortage in rainfall. Then in July, there was near normal rainfall, but again there was shortage in rainfall in August," Siddaramaiah said. Speaking to reporters here, he said there is a cabinet sub-committee under the leadership of the state Revenue Minister to review the drought situation, which has already held three meetings, and they are once again meeting on September 4. "As many as 113 taluks have been identified for drought and joint surveys are being done. On September 4, a decision will be arrived at on declaring them as drought-hit as per norms. Another 73 taluks too are fac

Review current parameters for declaring drought: Karnataka CM to Centre

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to the union government to review the current parameters for a state to declare drought and consider amending it, to establish a more responsive framework that acknowledges the realities of each state and offers timely assistance to the farmers in particular. In the backdrop of deficient Southwest Monsoon rains received in Karnataka, the chief minister has written Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, concerning the "stringent" parameters prescribed in the 'Manual for Drought Management-2016', as updated in 2020 for the declaration of drought by state governments. "In the current Southwest Monsoon season, Karnataka has recorded 234 mm as against a normal rainfall of 336 mm, with 34 per cent deficiency. This was also in the backdrop of delayed arrival of the monsoon and a deficit of 56 per cent in June due to weak monsoon," Siddaramaiah said, adding that throughout this season, the rainfall distribution and intensity has ..

Jharkhand inches towards drought-like situation due to scant rain: Official

Jharkhand is inching towards a drought-like situation due to 45 per cent rain deficit, leading to around 85 per cent of the arable land in the state remaining fallow in the peak monsoon season, officials said. Kharif crops were sown in only 4.15 lakh hectares against the target of 28.27 lakh hectares till July 21 or only in 14.71 per cent of the arable land. In 2022, around 20.40 per cent of the arable land was cultivated till the corresponding date, according to official data. Sowing of the main crop of the season, paddy, was even lesser at 11.20 per cent of the target of 18 lakh hectares. Last year, the figure was 11.76 per cent till July 21. According to agricultural experts, the ideal sowing period for paddy is from July 1 to July 20. With delayed or scant rainfall in the early months of monsoon in the last few years, many farmers nowadays sow crops till mid-August but that does not lead to a good harvest, they said. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has also expressed con

Global supplies of sugar, rice at risk from Thai drought that can last yrs

Rainfall across the nation may be as much as 10% below average this monsoon season, and the onset of the El Niño weather pattern could lower precipitation even further over the next two years

Drought and rising heat bring unusual wildfire warnings in northern Europe

Summer is wildfire season in southern Europe, but this year the continent's north is also at risk, with forest fire warnings in effect across the Nordic and Baltic countries. A lack of rain and rising temperatures have led to dangerously dry conditions in the region, leading to worries of a repeat of the summer of 2018 when major wildfires swept across Sweden in particular. Small wildfires are already burning in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland and experts worry it could get much worse unless there's significant rainfall in coming weeks. Unlike the sun-soaked Mediterranean countries, which have to deal with wildfires every summer, the phenomenon is rare in the countries of northern Europe, where summers are normally cool and wet by comparison. These countries are relatively new to drought problems, said Niclas Hjerdt, head of hydrological forecasting at Sweden's weather agency SMHI. We usually have an excess of water up here in northern Europe and Scandinavia. So there isn't th

When does India declare drought and how is it linked to the monsoon

One big change in India's drought management is in the IMD's parlance

Prolonged droughts likely spelled end for Indus magacities: Study

A series of severe and lengthy droughts may have caused the decline of the Indus Civilization cities, according to a study which looked into ancient rock formation from a cave in Uttarakhand. The beginning of this arid periodstarting at around 4,200 years ago and lasting for over two centuriescoincides with the reorganisation of the metropolis-building Indus Civilization, which spanned present-day Pakistan and India. The research, published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, identified three protracted droughtseach lasting between 25 and 90 yearsduring this arid period. "We find clear evidence that this interval was not a short-term crisis but a progressive transformation of the environmental conditions in which Indus people lived," said study co-author Cameron Petrie, Professor at the University of Cambridge, UK. The researchers charted historic rainfall by examining growth layers in a stalagmite -- a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave -- ..

Human-caused climate change resulting into increased flash droughts: Study

'Flash droughts', or droughts that start and develop rapidly, have become more frequent due to human-caused climate change and the trend is predicted to accelerate in a warmer future, according to a new research. An international team of researchers, including those from the University of Southampton, UK, said that flash droughts are fast becoming the 'new normal' for droughts, making forecasting and preparing for their impact more difficult. Their research is published in the journal Science. Flash droughts, caused by low precipitation and high evapotranspiration and leading to quick depletion of soil of water, can develop into severe droughts within a few weeks. While they start quickly, the droughts can last for months, damaging vegetation and ecosystems, and triggering heat waves and wildfires. The researchers wanted to understand if there had been a transition from conventional 'slow' droughts to flash droughts and also how the trend would develop under different carbon emiss

Drought conditions ease in California after winter storms bring rains, snow

According to the latest data released by US Drought Monitor (USDM) on Thursday, moderate or severe drought still covered about 49 per cent of the Golden State