Targetting the State government, the Opposition Chief Whip, Mohan Majhi alleged that the entire government machinery has gone into defensive mode by not taking preemptive measures to ward off the drought fears. “The government has never made a long-term project for the farmers who face drought situation almost every alternate year,” Majhi said.
He demanded the formation of a House committee at the earliest to study the ground situation and declare drought in the State so that a financial package could be announced for the farmers who have already suffered crop loss.
Similarly, the Congress party too demanded immediate disbursal of compensation for the drought-stricken farmers. MLA Adhiraj Panigrahi said, “The government should release compensation to the farmers either through input subsidy or a financial package.”
“Both the Centre and the State should declare Rs 20,000 each input subsidy for the farmers,” demanded Panigrahi.
However, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chose to play it safe over demands for a drought package. MLA Bhupinder Singh said, “The IMD’s prediction of a good monsoon this year fell flat. So we were caught off guard.”
As far as the demands of compensation are concerned Rs 504 Cr has already been paid to the landless farmers. Similarly, Rs 740 Cr have been disbursed to the small and marginal farmers of the State. “All this money serves the purpose of drought compensation as well,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and Congress leader Hemananda Biswal was spotted performing a havan at Thakurpada village under Jharsuguda district seeking relief for the farmers from the impending drought in Odisha.
Speaking to reporters, Biswal said that he has seen the State facing drought situation whenever the month of August went dry. The government should not waste time and declare drought in the State, he said.
Not far from Jharsuguda, the farmlands in the town of Rairakhole in Sambalpur sported the same parched look without sufficient rainfall, prompting the farmers of Bharatipur Panchayat take to streets and submitted a memorandum to the Sub-Collector demanding immediate compensation.
It is pertinent to mention here that Odisha Agriculture Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo on Sunday asked the ground level authorities to maintain a strict vigil on the drought-like situation which has emerged in the State in the wake of severe deficit rainfall this monsoon.
Sahoo chaired a high-level meeting with district and block level officials of the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Water Division, Livestock Development and Fisheries through video conferencing in this regard on Sunday.
Sahoo chaired a high-level meeting with district and block level officials of the Departments of Agriculture, Horticulture, Water Division, Livestock Development and Fisheries through video conferencing in this regard on Sunday.
The Minister directed the officials not to leave their office so that condition of the crops can be reviewed from time to time with feedback from the farming community and proper steps can be taken to tackle in case of the occurrence of natural disaster.
Sahoo has also strictly asked officials to keep their mobile phones switch on all the time for necessary dissemination of crucial information for execution on an immediate basis.
As per the new directions issued, officials of block and district level have been asked to provide data of minor irrigation facilities, rainfall and drought situation in their regions regularly.
Similarly, officials have been instructed to hold block and district level review meetings on all Saturdays at 5 pm.
As per the latest Meteorological data available, Odisha has recorded an average rainfall of 681.9 mm, which is 30% less than the normal rainfall received between June 1 and September 5.
The acute shortage of precipitation this monsoon season has severely hit agricultural activities across the State.
A total of 25 of 30 districts in Odisha have received deficit rainfall between -59% and -20 % in the last three months.
It may be noted that a State or a region is declared to have received deficit rainfall when the deficiency stands at -20%, as per the India Meteorological Department norms.
As per the IMD drought report till August 25, when almost all blocks in Jajpur are experiencing extremely dry conditions for the total period of June 1- August 25, a majority of blocks in the districts of Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Angul, Bargarh, Bolangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Kandhamal and Nayagarh are witnessing severely dry conditions.
The whole of western Odisha is witnessing moderately dry conditions, and mild dry conditions are stated to be prevailing in the rest of the districts.
Significant here is, during the 2020 monsoon, Odisha had recorded dry conditions in only 2 districts. While Khordha had recorded severely dry conditions, moderately dry conditions were measured in the neighbouring Puri district.
Monsoon 2021 Report
As per IMD data on Monsoon 2021 in Odisha (till Sept 1), only 6 districts - Khordha, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapada, Koraput and Malakngiri - in Odisha have recorded normal rainfall; whereas 24 other districts have measured deficient rainfall till Sept 1. Jajpur and Bhadrak have recorded only around half of the rainfall the districts receive during the normal monsoon period.
In western Odisha, Sambalpur and Bolangir have received only three-fifth of the rainfall recorded during the normal monsoon season. The deficient rainfall in other districts ranges from 22- 39 per cent.
Simply put, a high of 20 districts in the State have received at least one-third less rain this monsoon. In such a scenario, the 47 drought prone blocks in the State spread over the districts of Bolangir, Bargarh, Nuapada, Kalahandi and Phulbani have started showing drought symptoms. Besides, due to highly deficient rainfall, moisture stress is observed in the districts of Jajpur and Bhadrak, the IMD report observed.
Drought Conditions Marked In Odisha
According to IMD Pune data, in Odisha, the actual SPI (Standardised Precipitation Index) of Jajpur and Bhadrak has deteriorated to minus 3.15 and minus 2.82, respectively, for the week ended on Aug 25 as against (-)3.12 and (-)2.76, respectively, till August 18. The deterioration in soil moisture has also been observed in Keonjhar district.
None of the thirty districts in the State has recorded a positive SPI value till August last week. a high of 18 other districts has a value of more than (-)1. And in four districts the soil moisture stress is very high as the SPI value measured remained over 2 percent.
Significantly, as per IMD, if SPI value for a longer duration like the 3-month (June 1- Aug 25) period is measured at over minus 2, then the region can be said to be witnessing drought. However, if the value hovers at around minus 1, then it is considered that the drought event is all about to grip the region if deficient rainfall continues.
The Chief Minister today reviewed the drought-like situation at a high level meeting, held virtually, and directed officials to extend all possible assistance to the farmers.
According to Patnaik, agricultural activities are likely to get affected in view of the deficient rainfall in 213 blocks of the State. He directed the officials in the agriculture department to closely monitor the situation on a daily basis.
The Chief Minister also asked the district Collectors to take urgent measures to deal with the situation at the ground-level.
Apart from the contingency crop plan, the State government has also directed authorities to ensure water supply to the canals and maintain coordination in execution of MNREGS programmes.
In case of crop damage, the Chief Minister has asked officials to provide seeds and mini-kits to farmers to carry out the second crop. Similarly, the officials have been asked to provide diesel pump sets to the farmers in the areas where the crops are still protected.
All the defunct lift-irrigation points will be repaired and made functional within seven days. Patnaik has also stressed to focus on employment generation schemes for small and marginal farmers in order to provide livelihood assistance to them.
The water resources department has been asked to take steps for recharging the ground water to provide irrigational facilities to farmers in low-lying regions.
As of August 26, the State has recorded just 598.6 mm of average rainfall in the season running up from June 1 which counts up to a whopping 31% deficit in precipitation. It becomes even more precarious as weather models suggest that the remaining days of August also do not bode well for the rainfall forecast of the State so more dry days ahead.
The drastic shortage of rainfall has not only hit farming activities in non-irrigated lands but also regions with ample irrigation facilities. It is because of plummeting water level in major irrigation-feeding reservoirs and barrages in the State like Hirakud, Rengali, Kolab, Balimela, Indravati.
Take a look at the Jalaput dam of the Machhakund hydroelectricity project in Koraput. Locals of the region exclaim that they have never witnessed such a water crisis in the last seven decades. As per data available from the dam authorities, the water level in the reservoir has dipped by a shocking 23 feet this year.
Jogeswar Khembundu, a farmer of Koraput expressed his anxiety over the possible drought in the region. "Not only farmers but the common man at large is worried if such a situation arises. We don't know what to do," he said.
Similarly, the water level in Kolab dam has also reduced to 847 metre from 858 metre. Dam Executive Engineer Shakti Samanta Bhuyan said the situation might turn critical if the rainfall deficit does not overturn with some good spells of precipitation in the coming days.
Surprisingly, the largest of them all, the Hirakud Dam has also not been spared by the anger of the rain gods this season. According to the authorities of the dam, the water level in the world's longest reservoir has continuously declined by 3 to 4 feet in the last 10 days between August 14 and 24.
Looking at another example of the dam in Bhanjanagar area of Ganjam district, it becomes clear that drought bells have started to ring in the State. Residents of the region are now worried because of the discernible effects of a virtually 'rainless-monsoon'.
The temple of Biswanath Mahadev, which submerged in the reservoir ever since the dam was built during the British era to ward off the water crisis, can now be easily seen in the middle of the barrage due to the visibility of the pinnacle of the inundated shrine above the water level.
The rare spectacle has caused widespread concerns among the people of the area who now fear that drought is imminent.
Gopal Chandra Sethi, Executive Engineer, Irrigation department, Bhanjanagar also accepted the water crisis situation in the region. "This season, we have received less rainfall due to which water shortage situation has erupted in the barrage. We will wait and watch for some more days because Monsoon is still active," said Sethi.
As per the analysis of the State government, Odisha has received around 50% less rainfall than the normal in the month of August alone, the period of the peak monsoon season which generally exhibits the maximum amount of precipitation.
As per the data available with the India Meteorological Department, 27 out of 30 districts in Odisha have witnessed deficiency of around 20 to 59 percent rainfall this monsoon. With record of only 584.3 mm of average rainfall between June 1 and August 23, the State's actual precipitation has been hit by 31 percent deficit. However, the State government has so far not declared any district in the State as drought-hit.
Erratic rainfall during the peak farming period has caused severe setback to agricultural activities in almost all districts of the State.
Chairing a high-level executive meeting on ways to face a possible drought situation in the State, the Odisha Chief Secretary is learnt to have approved an emergency action plan to be implemented across the State based on the rainfall situation in the next 10 days.
As per the strategy, the government has planned to activate lift irrigation points at places worst-hit by the shortage of rainfall. Other irrigation facilities will also be set into motion at all Pani Panchayats.
Addressing newsmen after the meeting, State Agriculture Secretary Suresh Basistha said, "Farm labourers will be provided employment opportunities under MGNREGS and other government initiatives."
The Chief Secretary, in the presence of APC and Development Commissioner, has directed the Collectors of all districts to strengthen irrigation sources and prepare a blueprint at Pani Panchayat level so that farming works can be rejuvenated, said Basistha.
Meanwhile, the State unit of BJP today announced that it will visit the drought-prone areas in the State to make an assessment of the ground situation very soon. The party has constituted 4 teams for the review programme under the leadership of former MP Basant Panda, State Krushak Morcha president Pradeep Purohit, ex-Minister Manmohan Samal and Chief Whip of the Opposition, Mohan Majhi.
The BJP has urged the Odisha government to set up a task force to deal with any possible drought situation on a priority basis.
As per expert study, telltale signs of drought are becoming more discernible with every passing day in the State.
As per the latest forecast made by US-based NCEP, Odisha is going to witness scanty rainfall till August 30. The prediction shows that the precipitation in the State will be in the range of 30-40 mm only. As a consequence, it predicts a dip in the soil moisture up to (-) 4 cm during the period of Aug 22-30.
"Good rain in August is crucial as the sowed crops grow up, In mid-September, the crops reach the flowering stage. A rise in aridity in the month will prove harmful for the crops. Moreover, if the aridity extends up to mid-September, then farmers will stare at crop loss," explained a senior official in the State Agri Extension Services department.
IMD Paints A Drought Outlook
As per the drought report of IMD, Pune, not a single district in Odisha falls under the wet category. While Keonjhar, Jajpur and Bhadrak have been labelled as extremely dry, as per the estimation of the Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), the districts of Sambalpur, Balangir, Angul and Gajapati are tagged as severely dry. And Ganjam, Kandhamal. Nabarangpur, Kalahandi and Subarnapur fall under the moderately dry districts. The rest of the districts come under the mildly dry category.
The report shows that all the districts in the State, during the period of June 1 to August 18, have recorded negative SPI values. Scoring of negative values by almost all districts in the State reveal very big - it reflects dip in soil moisture, besides a drop in rainfall vis-a-vis the normal.
Has Drought Set In Odisha?
The IMD report further states that if the 3-month (June 1- Aug 18) period actual SPI is measured over (-) 1, then it is considered that the drought event is set to start in the region. Moreover, if the value is over 2, then it is considered that drought is gripping that area.
In Odisha, the actual SPI of Jajpur and Bhadrak is estimated very high at (-)3.12 and (-)2.76, respectively. While it is over (-)2 in Keonjhar, a high of 11 other districts have a value of more than (-)1. In the rest of the 16 districts, the value is negative but below (-)1.
Crop Situation In Odisha
The latest report available with the State Agriculture department shows that when paddy sowing this Kharif is down by nearly 6 lakh hectares, the total crop coverage, including Kharif pulses, cotton etc, has declined by nearly 7 lakh hectares.
Moreover, reports suggest that the falling soil moisture will be having an adverse impact on the growing crops in the farm fields across the State. The yield per hectare and quality of paddy will be severely affected, rued a senior OUAT scientist.
The Footnote: Agriculture experts here are surprised as the Odisha government has not yet declared any district in the State as drought-hit.
The agriculture input subsidy disbursal process has already begun and concerned district collectors have been asked to complete the process within seven days, said Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi.
"The drought-affected farmers will get the input subsidy within seven days. They will get Rs 6,800 per hectare for crop damage. The compensation amount will be directly credited to their bank and post office accounts," said the SRC.
Besides, Collectors have been directed to submit a daily progress report on disbursement of agriculture input subsidy and inform the SRC, in case they need more fund, said Sethi.
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The government had earlier, on October 28, sanctioned Rs 216.22 crore agriculture input subsidy to drought-affected farmers of around 70 blocks in Angul, Bolangir, Boudh, Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Khurda, Nayagarh, Nuapada, Sambalpur and Sonepur districts.
A six-member Central team of BJP comprising BJP MPs Savitri Thakur, Om Prakash Yadav, Kisan Morcha Vice President Maheshwar Sahu, Secretary Dr Sambhu Kumar and Andhra Pradesh BJP Kisan Morcha President P T Rao today arrived in Odisha on a four-day visit.
After reviewing the famers’ condition in the district, Rao lashed out at the Naveen government for its failure in tackling the situation. "The State government is taking no measures to help farmers deal with the situation. It has also failed in implementing the Central schemes that would have immensely benefitted the farmers," Rao said.
"Had the crop insurance scheme been implemented by the Odisha government for famers, the loss would have been much less," said BJP MP Savitri Thakur.
Meanwhile, the team will review the crop loss status in Balangir, Sonepur, Boudh, Ganjam and Nayagarh districts. The team will later prepare a detailed report on the visit and submit it to the party's national president Amit Shah.
https://youtu.be/e86W3nFDCcI
"We have asked the district collectors to submit report by October 22, following which drought-hit areas would be declared after October 31," said Chief Secretary Aditya Padhi after a drought review meeting on Thursday.
As many as 98 blocks in several districts of the State like Bolangir, Nuapada and Bargarh are worst hit. As per the reports of the collectors, the drought-hit areas would be indentified, Padhi added.
According to sources, a team led by Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi is already on a visit to western Odisha to review the drought situation in the districts. The team will submit a report to the respective district collectors by October 15. It will also submit a detailed report to the State government by October end, informed sources.
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Earlier in 2016, the State government had given special monetary assistance of Rs 100 per quintal of paddy to farmers affected due to drought. The compensation amount was then directly credited to the bank accounts of the farmers.
Sarat Chandra Sahu, director of the India Meteorological Department's Bhubaneswar regional centre, said that the State should have received 1150mm rainfall by now but it has so far received only 1052mm rainfall.
"Rain deficit has been recorded in nine districts of which three recorded over 30% deficit,” he said.
Besides Balangir, the other eight districts in the State that recorded rain deficit this monsoon are- Jajpur and Angul (30%), Dhenkanal (28%), Sonepur (25%), Bargarh and Bhadrak (24%), Kandhamal (22%) and Nayagarh (20%).
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Meanwhile, the districts with less rainfall are experiencing a drought-like situation in the State. Taking this into account, the government has decided to discuss on the drought situation at a review meeting scheduled on October 10 after receiving reports from the district collectors.
“It’s not possible to declare a district as drought-affected as the average rainfall in villages, even under a particular panchayat, is different. We have Village Level Workers and Assistant Agricultural Officers to identify the villages and panchayts that need to be declared drought-hit. We will proceed accordingly,” said Agriculture Minister Damodar Rout.
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BJP State president Basant Panda in a presser at the party headquarters in Bhubaneswar produced a list of farmers who committed suicide in the recent past and advised the BJD-led government to accept that those farmers took the extreme step due to crop failure.
He also urged the Odisha government to grant compensation to the kin of the deceased farmers at the earliest. Panda also demanded interest-free loan for the farmers of the State.
"The government should accept the deaths of farmers as suicides due to crop failure and like other states, provide assistance," stated Panda.
Speaking about the illegal practices by the millers during paddy procurement, Panda alleged "Food Supplies Minister Surya Narayan Patro has himself accepted that the Food & Civil Supplies Department is being controlled by the millers."
"The State is actually being ruled by a coterie in the third floor (Chief Minister's office in the Secretariat) and the millers are influencing those officials to exploit the farmers of the State." he added.
Panda also alleged that the government has declared drought in nine districts of the State without undertaking field visits.
Responding to Panda's allegations, BJD spokesperson Arun Sahoo said “The State has bagged national “Krishi Karman Award” four times and the packages the farmers of Odisha are given are much better than any other states."
Bargarh, which is also known as the 'Rice bowl of Odisha,' along with areas of Sambalpur, Nuapada and Sundergarh have been badly affected by deficit rainfall this monsoon season.
It is to be noted that this is the third consecutive year that western Odisha is facing a drought situation.
In the beginning of the monsoon this year, farmers were quite optimistic after good spells of rain, however as the paddy crops began to ripen, rain subsided.
The situation is quite severe in Sohela and Bijepur block of Bargarh, sources said.
Farmer outfits have urged the government to take necessary steps to provide water pumps and pipe connection to sustain cultivation.
In Nuapada district, after three consecutive seasons of drought-like condition, farmers had hoped that this year would be a silver lining. On the contrary rainfall was not as expected.
The condition is no less grim in Sambalpur district where hundreds of farmers and other locals led by BJP MLA Rabi Naik stormed to the streets demanding drought-hit status for Kuchinda sub-division.
Cultivators have warned that if the government does not take any proactive steps to mitigate the condition and provide adequate compensation, they would intensify their agitation.
"If the government does not ensure quick disbursement of crop insurance and compensation, we will launch protests," farmer leader, Vimal Joshi said.
Meanwhile, the administration has assured to assist the farmers in tackling the situation.
"We have already begun arrangements to provide diesel pump sets at subsidised prices. This apart, we are also providing water connection from canals and other water sources to affected farmlands at subsidised rates," said deputy director of Agriculture department in Bargarh, Dinabandhu Gandhi.
In the umpteenth rerun of the well rehearsed charade that follows every famer suicide, multiple rounds of ‘high level’ meetings have been taking place in the state secretariat since Brunda committed suicide on Wednesday. Teams have been dispatched and inquiry reports sought based on which ‘action’ will be taken, we have been assured by the Agriculture minister Dr. Damodar Rout.
As part of the routine perfected over time, a stream of sarkari officials have descended on Brunda’s house in Kalapani village of Bargarh district after his suicide. Those who should have been answering questions on why Brunda had to first burn his damaged crops and then commit suicide have instead badgered his family members with questions all day, leaving them very little time to mourn the death of the family head.
On their part, politicians of all hues have shed their due share of crocodile tears with the Congress, in a bid to draw some attention, even taking the ludicrous step of filing an FIR against the Agriculture minister in the Bargarh police station blaming him for Brunda’s death.
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Amid the fast-paced developments following his suicide, the one question that keeps coming back to the mind is: could Brunda’s life have been saved? The answer has to be ‘Perhaps’. If only the local officials had responded to his desperate pleas in time; if only the mandarins in the state secretariat had held emergency meetings before, not after, his death; if only the officials had made a beeline to his house at least on the day he burnt his standing crops, if not before! But then, that would have been so uncharacteristic of officialdom, wouldn’t it? On Thursday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asserted that his government is ‘always with the farmers’. “… except when he needs it the most,” he might have as well added!
Just imagine the state of Brunda’s mind when he ignited the fire on his chakada-infested crop. Only a farmer driven to the end of the tether could have taken such a step. Visuals of his burning crops should have set the alarm bells ringing in the local administration and officials should have rushed to his house on Tuesday itself and assured him of all help and due compensation for crop loss. But given the all-pervasive cynicism about government promises, even this may not have been enough to persuade Brunda to abandon thoughts of committing suicide. After all, why would someone, who has made endless trips to government offices in a desperate bid to be heard and returned unheard every time, trust any assurance given by the same set of officials that drove him to the edge of the precipice in the first place? May be a word from the collector – or even the Agriculture minister – over phone would have helped. But then where is the time in the busy schedule of these worthies for an unknown farmer in faraway Kalapani (unless he committed suicide, that is)?
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Given the Agriculture minister’s emphatic assertion in the past that a farmer ‘never commits suicide’, it would be interesting to see what he attributes the death of Brunda to. If the ‘farmer-friendly’ Naveen Patnaik government is to be believed, not a single farmer has committed suicide in due to crop loss, loan burden and the like even as the media and farmers’ organizations have reported hundreds of farmer suicides in the state since 2015. The suicides have all been attributed to everything from disease to domestic quarrel to drinking. These fantastic reasons conjured by the state apparatus have convinced no one and actually opened the government to ridicule. The done-to-death claim of four Krishi Karman awards in five years has fallen flat in the face of four farmer suicides in the last one week alone. Let the death of Brunda mark a complete departure from past practice. Let government officials stop wracking their brains thinking about how to explain away his death and make a fresh beginning by admitting that crop loss drove him to suicide. It would do more to refurbish the pro-farmer credentials of the government than all the denials over the years.
Congress MLA Narasingha Mishra alleged that the government's sheer apathy towards the irrigation projects in the State has pushed the future of farmers into a state of uncertainty. The minister concerned only presented details of the average rainfall across different parts of the State, but didn't speak anything related to drought or the measures that could be taken to deal with it, said Mishra.
"The minister also didn't reply to the question raised on farmer suicides. A farmer has reportedly committed suicide in Bargarh. Now, the suicide spree will continue. This government is claiming itself to be a farmers' government by giving Rs 10,000 to farmers under the KALIA scheme and many farmers haven't received that too," alleged Mishra.
Responding to the allegations, BJD MLA Amar Satpathy said that the government is taking all the necessary steps to deal with the problems that may rise due to the erratic rainfall in the State. "The Water Resources Department is ready to deal with all type of situations. Arrangements will be made by the department to make sure water is available, when needed, in case of deficit rainfall," said Satpathy.
Bhubaneswar: The spectre of a drought has begun to haunt the state with a large number of districts experiencing less than normal rainfall. As many as 21 out the total 30 districts have witnessed deficient rainfall, triggering all round concern. Even in ‘normal’ districts there are pockets of deficiency because of uneven distribution of rainfall. The overall rainfall deficiency between June 1 and July 19 has been estimated at 26.3 percent.
The situation has hit agricultural activities across the state with a few cases of alleged suicide by farmers already being reported. As expected the government has refused to link these cases with crop failure or loan burden of the farmers who took the extreme step but there is no denying the growing anxiety over the situation.
A drought is bad news for people in any part of the state but its effects get multiplied in western Odisha districts like Kalahandi, Nuapada and Bolangir which, over the years, have earned notoriety as the hunger zones of the state. Despite tall claims of ‘positive’ changes having been ushered in during the last 19 years of Naveen Patnaik government’s rule not much has changed on the ground in this benighted region which is part of the infamous KBK belt, a metaphor for under-development and backwardness.
Farming having turned into a non-remunerative proposition and jobs, both government and private, becoming scarce the annual migration of labour from this belt continues. Able bodied men and women and sometimes even children leave their homes to earn a living on farmlands and brick kilns in states like Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and even Chhatisgarh which is just across the border. Children are often forced to work in factories under inhuman conditions.
The exodus of this workforce from the villages begins soon after Nuakhai, the harvesting festival of western Odisha. Labour touts pay them advance money which is accepted readily as droughts are known to frequent this belt where poverty alleviation schemes have failed to make a noticeable impact.
The unfortunate part is that a majority of these labourers return home poorer to tell stories of exploitation at the hands of their employers in alien climes. Women are often exploited sexually and there have been instances of children being maimed. But none of this has made any difference to the phenomenon of migration which continues and has become the most demonstrable proof of the growing desperation of the poor who allegedly live in a welfare state!
A drought would perhaps raise the scale of this exodus of labour but it could cause other problems as well. For example it has the potential to turn marginal farmers and sharecroppers into labourers scouting for menial jobs to keep their families going. One should not be surprised if a section of them decide to join the huge force of migrant labourers and go out of the state in search of greener pastures. That will be a tragedy and the government should do everything within its powers to prevent such a possibility.
(DISCLAIMER: This is an opinion piece. The views expressed are author’s own and have nothing to do with OTV’s charter or views. OTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
According to Meteorological Centre, Bhubaneswar data, Sonepur has witnessed 31 per cent rain deficit till date which is far less than its surrounding districts in western Odisha.
With no rains, farmers of Sonepur Ullunda block are in agony over uncertain agricultural activities this year. Farmlands have become arid without the usual rains. As per reports, farming activities kicked off in the district early this year with healthy spells of rain during the onset of monsoon. Farmers sowed their fields on time but they have done no progress after that as the plantation process needs ample amount of water in the field.
Sonepur has irrigation facility only in Dunguripalli and Binika blocks where agricultural activities have not been affected due to shortage of rain.
Dinabandhu Kumbhar, a farmer from Ullunda block said, “We are in despair over less rains. We were about to start paddy plantation but no rainfall occurred in this area. Plants cannot withstand such a situation without rain.”
“We didn’t receive as much rain this monsoon as is required for paddy crop. Some farmers had harvested rain water, but is not enough for crops,” said Jogindra Manandia, another farmer from Ullunda block.
Prasant Satapathy, Deputy director for Agriculture in the district has accepted about the deficit rainfall this season.
“We are going to achieve the crop target this year. Two of our 6 blocks are irrigated and other 4 blocks are experiencing shortage of water due to less rain,” he said.
Balasore which is one of the coastal districts have also been hard hit due to rainfall deficit. As of now, the district has witnessed 36 per cent less rain this year. Several blocks of Balasore are in a drought-like situation.
Agricultural activities are lagging behind as the rain quantity is not favorable for paddy crop. Cropping process has not started yet in most of its blocks.
(Edited By Suryakant Jena)
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