Farm output hit; water levels in reservoirs at their lowest; Kerala, Karnataka looking at cloud seeding
Bengaluru/ Thiruvananthapuram: The near-normal monsoon in 2016 may have helped most parts of the country come out of two successive droughts and perhaps propel foodgrain output to a new high, but not in the South.
The drought has extended its grip in the South, with the South-West monsoon falling significantly short and the North-East monsoon proving a total failure.
Reeling under the impact of failed monsoons, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have declared themselves as drought affected. Kerala and Karnataka, which are the worst affected, are already contemplating actions such as cloud seeding to tide over the situation.
In Kerala, the S-W monsoon deficit stood at -34 per cent, and the North-East monsoon, -61 per cent.
Similarly, in Tamil Nadu, the deficits were -19 per cent and -62 per cent (North-East monsoon). For Coastal Karnataka, the shortfall stood at -21 per cent and -63 per cent, respectively.
Drought-like conditions are also prevailing in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The aggravating drought in Peninsular India has not only affected the output of agriculture and allied sectors, but has also triggered drinking water shortages, causing hardship not only to the masses but also to livestock and wildlife.
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