Policies for a parched India
The late onset of monsoon in India and the lack of rains across the country are worrying signs. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a near-normal monsoon. It said the monsoon would arrive on the Kerala coast in the first week of June. But the signs are just not encouraging. Weather forecaster Skymet has already rang alarm bells by reporting that Kerala is seeing one of its driest pre-monsoon months of May with over 81 per cent rain deficit. Its weather models are also indicating a weak onset of monsoon, a possibility that also appears to have been corroborated by the IMD. The national forecaster has reported seriously deficient pre-monsoon rainfall across the country: at least 34 per cent lower than the Long Period Average (The average of rainfall between 1951 and 2000, which is 89 cm).
These signs do not bode well for a country which is now grappling with acute farm distress. A vigorous and expansive monsoon is what the nation needs the most at this juncture as it will give a fillip to agricultural activities and productivity, thereby insulating farmers from further misery. Well distributed rainfall is central to not only provide water to the croplands, but also to fill reservoirs and recharge the groundwater level, which is reducing at an alarming rate across the country. A good monsoon ensures high productivity and sufficient food availability, thus keeping inflation under check.
Significantly, Narendra Modi has said that water management would be a top priority in his second term as the prime minister. The BJP too has promised to set up a unified water ministry that will guide the management of the most precious natural resource in the country. With climate change becoming more visible by the day, tackling water scarcity and drought should be uppermost in the agenda of any development policy. Water poverty should be addressed on a mission mode.