Introduction-
Man has been trying to conquer the fury of nature for centuries, but in some form or the other nature is maintaining its supremacy. ‘Drought’ i.e. ‘lack of water is also very dangerous like ‘flood’ i.e. ‘water deluge’.
Meaning and types of drought when there is no rain in an area for a long time and a famine-like situation arises, it is called ‘drought’. The main reason for drought is the lack of water. About 15% of India is prone to drought. There are three types of drought – seasonal drought, aquatic drought, and agricultural drought. When there is no rain for a long time, it is called a ‘seasonal drought’. In our country, more than 10% of the monsoon rainfall is called excessive rainfall and brings the danger of flood. When the rainfall is around 10% then it is considered as normal rainfall and when it is less than 10% then it is considered insufficient rainfall. When there is no water even for the survival of human beings, only then the situation of drought arises. When the underground water level starts decreasing rapidly, rivers, canals, ponds, etc. start drying up. Then it is called ‘hydraulic drought’. During water drought, water is not available for daily work and also for agricultural works and industries. ‘Famine’ or ‘agricultural drought’ occurs when the soil moisture also dries up and the fields become cracked. During such drought, even the crops sown by the farmers do not grow due to lack of water and the farmers become dependent on food grains. In the event of famine, farmers leave their fields along with their families and run toward the cities in search of food. Although all three types of drought are different from each other, if there is no seasonal and water-borne drought, then there will be no agricultural drought either because sufficient water for agriculture is obtained from monsoon rains only. When the soil moisture also starts drying up and the fields get cracked. During such drought, even the crops sown by the farmers do not grow due to lack of water and the farmers become dependent on food grains. In the event of famine, farmers leave their fields along with their families and run toward the cities in search of food. Although all three types of drought are different from each other, if there is no seasonal and water-borne drought, then there will be no agricultural drought either because sufficient water for agriculture is obtained from monsoon rains only. When the soil moisture also starts drying up and the fields get cracked. During such drought, even the crops sown by the farmers do not grow due to lack of water and the farmers become dependent on food grains. In the event of famine, farmers leave their fields along with their families and run toward the cities in search of food. Although all three types of drought are different from each other, if there is no seasonal and water-borne drought, then there will be no agricultural drought either because sufficient water for agriculture is obtained from monsoon rains only.
Drought measuring scale- An index is used to accurately measure the drought condition, which is called the ‘Pocker Dot Security Index’. The range of this index is from +6 (above normal rainfall) to – 6 (extremely dry conditions). India is an agricultural country, with more than 70% of its population living in villages. There are about 5,55,137 villages in the whole of India, out of which 2,31,000 villages are facing some or the other problem. About 16% of India has been declared drought-prone.
Measures to deal with drought- Many efforts are being made to deal with the drought problem in India. The Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources has been established by the Government of India, apart from this, all the states also have their irrigation departments which are spreading the means of irrigation. We cannot stop the drought caused due to lack of rain, but the mass of drought can be reduced by the promotion of irrigation means. Apart from this, dams and river valley projects have been established at various places in the country. The big river valley projects like the Bhakra Nangal Project, Hind Dam Project, Hirakud Project, Damodar Valley Project, etc., through which irrigation work is done on lakhs of hectares of land and electricity is generated.
Disadvantages due to drought- Drought spreads hunger everywhere because when agriculture becomes barren, all the food grains of the country start ending. Employment is snatched from the people and the production of cereals, pulses, oilseeds, etc. in the villages ends. Many people become the target of death. Cattle suffer the most from drought because men can go to the city to work, but what to do with cattle? When it becomes difficult to get humans to eat, then how to take care of the cattle? After the drought, many diseases spread, in such a situation, due to lack of money, even treatment could not be done and thousands of people died.
Conclusion- The problem of drought also arises due to excessive use of underground water, soil erosion, and excessive cutting of forests. We should make efforts to eliminate these reasons and promote the means of irrigation. Even if this tragedy happens even then, help and relief materials should be sent to the drought-affected areas and medicines, etc. should be distributed to them. True humanity is known only in times of trouble.