States reel as soaring mercury aggravates drought condition

From Kerala to Uttar Pradesh, a heat wave is scorching farmlands, aggravating the drought condition across the country.

The situation is becoming dire, with the drought seen intensifying as the mercury soars above 40 degrees across many parts. This has triggered a severe water crunch and aggravated rural distress leading to people fleeing many of the affected areas.

“As the sun moves towards the north, heat conditions will be felt in North and North-West India. While heat wave occurs every year, the severity is being felt more this year due to the water shortage in many States,” said Shivanand Pai, lead forecaster at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The worst affected are the contiguous stretches from North Interior Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Haryana, reeling under drought or drought-like conditions.

The impact of the drought, one of the worst in recent years, has been severe in Marathawada and North Interior Karnataka. Drought is a State subject and 10 States have already declared drought in some parts, while another three are witnessing drought-like conditions.

Two successive years of deficient rainfall and depleting groundwater levels due to over use have aggravated the drought conditions, impacting the farm sector and livelihoods. While the country witnessed 12 per cent deficit rainfall in 2014-15, the deficiency in annual precipitation further widened to 14 per cent during 2015-16.

Poor rainfall last year was largely attributed to the El Nino phenomenon or the warming of Pacific Ocean which brings dry spells to parts of Asia, including India. The El Nino witnessed during 2015 was the third warmest since 1900.

Also, the poor precipitation during the last two years has led to reduced water storage levels in the 91 major reservoirs monitored by the Central Water Commission. Further, the intensifying heat condition is resulting in rapid depletion of the water levels in these reservoirs.

Low reservoir levels As on April 13, storage in the 91 major reservoirs stood at 35.839 billion cubic metres (BCM), accounting for 23 per cent of the total storage capacity of 157.799 BCM. The current water level is 33 per cent lower than last year and 23 per cent lower than the 10-year average of 46.724 BCM for the period.

Live storage levels in the Southern Region stood at a mere 15 per cent of the total capacity, followed by the Western Region at 18 per cent, the Northern Region at 23 per cent and the Eastern Region at 34 per cent.

Respite only in June According to weather experts, a respite from the sweltering heat will come only towards mid-June when the South-West monsoon advances across the country. The weather forecasters — both public and private players — have offered hope, predicting an above-normal monsoon this year.

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