U.S. Water News Online
BHUBANESWAR, India -- The eastern Indian state of Orissa is facing one of the worst droughts in its 64-year history because of inadequate rainfall during the last monsoon and has declared 11,807 villages are suffering from lack of water and loss of crops.
The state government ordered emergency feeding centers to open.
State Revenue Minister B.B. Harichandan said that by the end of last month, more villages may be declared as drought-hit after local officials submit their harvest reports.
Among the drought-hit villages, 6,023 have recorded crop loss of 75 per cent or more, he said. The crop loss varies from 50 to 74 percent in the other villages.
Harichandan said the state government had provided $9.19 million to the affected areas and asked for an additional $9.67 million from the national government.
He said no starvation deaths have occurred, despite news reports.
``We had received 61 reports of alleged starvation deaths from different drought-hit districts through local newspapers. But after a detailed investigation, the allegations of starvation deaths were found to be untrue,'' Harichandan said.
Orissa is one of India's poorest states. Its eastern portion suffers from devastating cyclones and floods while the inland regions had virtually no rainfall last year.
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields