KALPETTA : Wayanad principal agricultural officer has submitted a report to the district collector, who is also chairperson of the district disaster management authority and director of the department of agriculture development and farmers’ welfare, recommending that the district be declared as drought-affected.
According to the report, there has been widespread crop damage in the district. The three-day inspection by a team consisting of deputy directors and assistant directors found that 90% of local self-government institutions in the district are facing drought.
“The team visited four grama panchayats in the district. Villages near the border with Karnataka face severe crop damage. We have forwarded the report to higher authorities and to the district collector recommending that Wayanad be declared drought-affected,” said Ajith Kumar, principal agricultural officer.
A district can be declared as a drought-affected area based on the report of the revenue department, along with recommendations of the agriculture department. Only such an announcement will ensure assistance, including compensation, for farmers whose crops are destroyed.
The inspection team found that the drought had badly affected Mullankolly and Pulpally grama panchayats. The report says water bodies have dried up, people are facing water scarcity and farmers are in distress due to crop damage. The Kaani river has dried up, adding to the woes of villagers.
“Coffee, pepper and banana cultivations, spread across over 235.8 hectares of land, have been destroyed in just Mullankolly and Pulpally panchayats in Panamaram block. Ten hectares of paddy cultivation and two-hectares of vegetable cultivation have also been destroyed.
The report assessed Rs 25-crore worth crop damage in the district. “If the situation persists, more water bodies will dry up with the risk of double-crop damage,” the report stated.
The situation is no different in other parts of the state. In Idukki, large swathes of cardamom plantations have been damaged in Vandanmedu, Pathumury, Nedumkandam, Kattappana, and Chakkupallam.
Farmers say this is the first time in recent history that drought-like conditions have affected the cardamom sector in Idukki. Farmers in Palakkad, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts have also been badly affected. The Kisan Janatha Kovalam Mandalam committee has demanded immediate financial assistance to farmers whose crops have been destroyed.
90% of local self-government institutions in the district are facing drought
Drought-affected areas in Wayanad
Pulpally
Mullankolly
Panamaram
Kaniyambetta
Thondernad
Thirunelly
Thavinjal
Edavaka
Vellamunda
Mananthavady
Ambalavayal
Nenmeni
Sulthan Bathery
Noolpuzha
Meenangadi
Muttil
Padinjarathara
Kalpetta
Pozhuthana
Kottathara
Meppady
Vythiri