Manipur government declares drought in the state
The Manipur government has declared a drought-like situation in the state due to scant rainfall. Crop failures have been reported in as many as 70 blocks across the state.
Significant deficit in rainfall has resulted in a drought-like situation, the Manipur government stated on Saturday. Manipur had last experienced a drought in 2009.
The decision to declare in the state was taken by the state cabinet after a high-level meeting was held in the presence of Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Cabinet ministers, MLAs, Chief Secretary, vice-chancellor of Central Agricultural University, agriculture departments, deputy commissioners, and representatives from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) were also present at the meeting.
The CM reviewed the rainfall situation, crop conditions and the status of water reservoirs during the meeting. It was found that there was 50 per cent rain deficit in the state and the water deficiency level of the reservoirs stood at 60 per cent.
“It is estimated that due to significant deficit in rainfall, drought has adversely affected the crops across 70 blocks of the state. As per initial estimates, various villages of these blocks have crop failure ranging from 33 per cent to more than 50 per cent based on which they are categorized as moderately or severely affected by drought,” an official release stated.
The maximum impact was witnessed in the valley districts, as per reports. However, several hill blocks have also been affected, reports added. According to the Agriculture Department, about 99,153 hectares of land were affected by drought as of July 2019.
With the declaration of drought, the state government can now turn to the centre for relief. The Department of Relief and Disaster Management will submit a memorandum for relief to the Government of India within a week’s time. The government will then designate an inter-ministerial team to the state so that the verification process can be done.
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