PRESENTATION ON DROUGHT MITIGATION 28-29TH AUGUST, 2001 -TEHRAN

MANAGEMENT OF DROUGHT IN INDIA

By VASU

COUNTRY PROFILE

Population : 1027.0 Million Rural Population: About 72% Population growth (1991-2001) : 21.34 % Area : 328.7 million hectares Net Area Sown : 142.2 million hectares Net Irrigated Area : 55.10 million hectares States/UTs : 28 States (provinces) and 7

Union Territories

COUNTRY’S VULNERABILITY TO DROUGHT

33 per cent area receives rainfall less than 750mm -chronically drought prone

35 per cent area receive rainfall between750-1125 mm- drought prone

Total 68 % area of the country prone to drought in varying degrees

RAINFALL DISTRIBUTION

India receives its annual rainfall in four spells: Pre-Monsoon(March-May)----10.4 % SouthWest Monsoon(Jun-Sept)--73.3% NorthEast Monsoon(Oct-Dec)- 13.3% Winter Rains (January-Feb.)-- 3.0 %

DEFINITION OF DROUGHT

Many definitions of drought available

“actual moisture supply at a given place consistently falls short of the climatically expected moisture supply”

“ a period of dry weather of sufficient length and severity to cause at least partial crop failure “

DEFINITION OF DROUGHT

Common accepted definition is: “ a temporary reduction in water or

moisture availability significantly below the normal or expected level for a specified period “

“ a creeping situation of scarcity without recharging of resources “

DROUGHT CLASSIFICATION

Meteorological --significant decrease from normal precipitation over an area

Hydrological drought: marked depletion of surface water and fall in water tables

Agricultural Drought: soil moisture and rainfall inadequate to support crops

DROUGHT PROOFING PROGRAMMES

Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP)-180 districts of 16 States (Rs. 19.0 billion)

Desert Development Programme (DDP) -40 districts of 7 States (Rs. 8.5 billion)

Watershed approach : a geo-hydrological approach for in situ soil and water conservation (Rs. 22.6 billion)

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT

Critical parameters: Availability of Drinking water Sustenance of Economic activity Availability of Food-reasonable price Health and Nutrition-vulnerable

sections Conservation of Livestock

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-INDIA

Employment Generation Programmes Food For Work Programme (FFWP) Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)

(Rs. 16.0 billion) Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana (JGSY) (Rs.

16.5 billion) * Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana

(PMGSY) (Rs. 25.0 billion) Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana

(SGSY) (Rs. 5.0 billion) *

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT- INDIA

Social Security Programme Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) National Old Age Programme (NOAP) Annapurna Scheme (Rs. 3.0 billion) Integrated Child Development

Scheme (ICDS) Mid Day Meal - School children

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-GOOD PRACTICES

In place contingency action plan Monitoring of Rainfall and likely drought

scenario from the beginning by Natural Disaster Management Division

Timely declaration of drought and initiation of drought relief measures

Effective coordination between Centre and States-Central Teams

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-GOOD PRACTICES Monitoring by Group of Ministers

and the Prime Minister at political level

Constant Monitoring by Group of Secretaries under Cabinet Secretary

National Crop Forecasting Centre (NCFC) and Crop Weather Watch Group

Warning and forecasting by India Met Department (IMD)

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-GOOD PRACTICES 1978 exploratory bore wells handed over

by CGWB for augmenting water supply Free transportation of drinking water by

Railways-19009 wagons and Fodder -386 wagons

Guidelines relaxed under Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme (ARWSP)

At least one source of drinking water earmarked in each habitat

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-GOOD PRACTICES

2.2 million MT Foodgrains free of cost for Food for Work Programme

440 million additional man-days generated for drought mitigation

Advance release of funds under drought mitigation related schemes

Expansion of social security schemes

DROUGHT MANAGEMENT-GOOD PRACTICES

Special care of vulnerable sections like children, pregnant and lactating mothers, old and infirm

Opening of cattle camps and subsidised fodder

Association of NGOs and UN Agencies Use of Information Technology- web

sites e-mail for communication

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM

Natural Disaster’s management responsibility of State Governments

Union Government supplements the efforts of the State Governments by providing financial and logistic support

Set up at the National Level Department of Agriculture & Cooperation

(DAC) - Nodal Department

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISM

National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) under Cabinet Secretary

Crisis Management Group under Central Relief Commissioner (CRC) in the DAC

Krishi Control Room- to monitor the situation regularly

Constitution of Ministerial-level Body for expeditious decision making

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Ready availability of funds with the State Governments in the form of Calamity Relief Fund(CRF)

State wise allocation in CRF based on the recommendations of the Finance Commissions-Rs. 21 .0 billion for 2001-02

CRF sharing between Central and State Government in the ratio of 3:1

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS

Additional assistance provided in the wake of disaster of severe nature from National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF)-released Rs. 20.0 billion

Funds are also available from many on-going Plan Schemes of the Central and State Governments

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Community participation is key to effectiveness of Governments efforts

Gram Sabha/Panchayat recommend relief work

Districts & Block level committees involved in sanctioning and monitoring of relief works

NGOs play a significant role training and motivation

EXTERNAL ASSISTANCE-POLICY

No formal appeal is issued on behalf of the Government, directly or through any other agency, for assistance

Relief offered on voluntary basis accepted and acknowledged as a sign of international solidarity

Areas of assistance are Nutrition, Health, Community capacity, Water harvesting etc.

DROUGHT A MANAGEMENT ISSUE

Country experience is that- Drought can be prevented Drought can be mitigated Hardships can be minimised Sufferings can be reduced

If we at all levels work togetherDrought is not a Disaster but

a Management Issue

THANKS