Rainfall
The Indian subcontinent experiences an average rainfall of around
1200 mm and as such its water resources are enormous and are
well comparable to any other country of its size and magnitude.
However the problem lies in its distribution across the country,
ranging from over 10,000 mm at cherrapunji and 8500 mm in parts
of western Ghats at one end to around 200-350 mm in parts of
western Rajasthan and Gujarat at the other. Because of the erratic
behavior of the rainfall, even the medium rainfall region is
vulnerable to drought conditions. Consequently, 68% or roughly
2/3 of the country's arable area is at one time or the other
susceptible to drought. Most of the major states have both drought
as well as high rainfall areas and these are situations in states
like Bihar, where while the northern part is reeling under floods,
some of the southern districts falling in the rain shadow are
simultaneously under drought. The drought of 1987, caused by
the failure of the southwest monsoon over large parts of India,
was one of worst in the century. Only 14 out of the 35 meteorological
sub-divisions of the country received normal or excess rainfall:
18 sub -divisions received deficient and 3 received scanty rainfall.
Approximately 37 percent of the geographical area of the country
received normal rainfall, leading to an overall deficiency of
(-19 percent) The delayed monsoon affected agricultural operations
in 43 percent of the cropped area, with Rajasthan and Gujarat
being the worst affected states. The Prime Minister set up Cabinet
Committee on Drought (CCD), which formulated an action plan and
closely monitored its implementation. By adopting an effective
agricultural contingency plan incorporating optimum use of water
resources, the loss in production could be minimised .The Action
Plan emphasized on a) Employment Generation, b) Provision of
drinking water, c) Fodder availability, d) Supply of essential
commodities and e) Drought Proofing as drought mitigation measures.
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