Opinion - Editorials   

Rain deficit in the northeast

Much of the verdant northeastern region of India, some of it ordinarily inundated at this time of the year, has experienced deficient rainfall. The region is faced with a paradox that stems from the failure of governments to go for coherent long-term plans for rain harvesting and water management aided by strategies to check soil degradation, deforestation, illegal lumbering, quarrying, and mining. Except Mizoram, which received 1016 mm of rainfall during the period January-August, all the States recorded deficits ranging from 52 per cent to 14 per cent, reflecting the characteristic spatial variability of the monsoon even within homogenous regions. The situation is particularly stark in Meghalaya and Assam, which have not seen even a moderate drought since the 19th century: the last recorded instance was in 1896. In Cherrapunji in Meghalaya, no more the wettest but still one of the wettest inhabited places on earth, women today trek long distances to fetch water: the region has lost its green cover and topsoil after years of slash-and-burn agriculture. Five districts of Assam saw flood waters rolling by at the start of the monsoon season, which forced about seven lakh people out of their homes. But since then there has been no rain, and the State Government, which has termed the situation "drought-like", is apparently waiting for the monsoon season to be over to make a formal declaration. More than a million farm families have been affected in 22 of the 27 districts. Rice crops have withered, and production will be far short of the targeted four million tonnes. Peasant families numbering about 10 lakh, and agricultural labourers numbering 12 lakh, are bearing the brunt. Also hit is the 430-sq.-km Kaziranga National Park, home to 1,850 endangered one-horned rhinos. Adding to the woes will be the impact on hydel power generation (the region has 41.5 per cent of the national potential) and industrial production.

Immediate steps need to be taken to prevent large-scale unemployment, food scarcity, a fall in income levels — and worse. As the Assam State Kisan Sabha has pointed out, in the absence of intervention, farmers may be pushed to the brink, a la Vidharbha and Wayanad. It is unclear if the State Governments and the Centre have comprehended fully the gravity of the situation. In Assam, for instance, all that the Government seems to have done is to announce a waiver of land tax and diesel distribution in meagre quantities to pump water from wells. Some of the States have demanded that the Centre send its teams to assess the level of distress and announce ameliorative measures. This can hardly wait, now that the retreat of the monsoon is imminent. Also needed is a campaign to encourage water conservation. A region that is already lagging behind on the development front owing to a range of complex factors, including a history of unrest, should not be allowed to suffer on yet another front.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Justice at last
Rain deficit in the northeast
Towards a doctrine for internal security
Integration vs. forced assimilation
Corrections and clarifications
Balochistan: the wider issues at stake
Lesson of Gore ecofilm — don't vote on personality
Mumbai blasts case
Social responsibility
Satyagraha's relevance
On 9/12
War of words

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu