Normal monsoon this time as per the forecast
The ‘normal’ monsoon this
time is forecasted by the India Meteorological Department. If correct, India
will have a second consecutive year of normal rainfall, after two years of
drought. There will be enhanced agricultural output,
healthy reservoir levels, more hydropower and reduced conflicts over water.
When more than half the
population is sustained by agricultural livelihoods, highly efficient water
utilisation holds the key to higher farm productivity. Preparing
for drought remains a top priority today. The negative impact of drought on
productivity is disproportionately higher than the positive effects of a normal
or surplus monsoon. This underscores
the need to help farmers.
During the drought the
focus has to be on plant protection, water harvesting and access to
post-harvest technologies. The way forward is to create ponds, provide solar
power for more farms, mechanise operations and expand drip irrigation coverage.
Aiding small farmers with the tools and providing them formal financing is
another way.
A normal monsoon will
also relieve water stress in the cities if they prepare catchments and
reservoirs. The ground water level of urban and semi urban area are running out
day by day. As responsible citizens of India we should be aware of this big
issue
India's metrological
department must be giving correct information about the moonson since as the
weather pattern changes it brings changes to the atmosphere formation of rain
and effective ways are implemented for saving if these useful resource.
India's average rainfall
(the Southwest Monsoon, which is now understood to be steady level for well
over 10,000 years) is about 1,050 mm. The average
surface water available are 3.45 trillion Cu.M - not included are the Snow
melts from the Himalaya which flood the northern rivers including the Ganga and
Yamuna for few months. The
Brahmaputra alone has a water volume of 624.4 billion Cu.M. The average water
available per person (total population of 1,350 million) is about 7,000 L per
day, for all 365 days in a year. We
now struggle to offer even percapita @ 10 L. We must work on scientific water
management. Droughts are man-made - not utilizing available water. So man, if
he has the will, can solve this problem too.
No comments:
Post a Comment