M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, July 19: Palamu is bracing to tackle the drought-like situation in the wake of highly deficient rain in the month of June and its pass over till July 17 as well.
72 percent deficiency of rain was recorded in June while in the first fortnight, the percentage of rain is around 44 percent, according to sources in the district agriculture office in Daltonganj.
Palamu Deputy Commissioner Anjaneyulu Dodde has asked his officials to be in all preparedness to handle the situation arising out of drought if it sets in as of now Palamu is beset with a drought-like situation.
Why is it a drought-like situation in Palamu right now?
Paddy seedlings and their transplantation are at the lowest in the ruralscape of Palamu due to lack of rain. It is the paddy seedlings and their transplantation that decide the fate of the farmers here.
Palamu has set a target of paddy cultivation on 51,000 hectares of land but it is still struggling to achieve even 30 percent of this target.
Similarly, cultivation of the pulses and ‘telhan’ (seeds that produce edible oil like sarso til etc) is far lagging behind its target.
Moongphali called ‘Chiniya Badaam’ is in total disarray now as farmers are waiting for the rain to cast its seeds.
The drought-like situation is getting bigger with every passing day which is a rainless day.
Agricultural scientist of the Chiyanki-based zonal research centre of the Birsa Agriculture University Ranchi Pramod Kumar said the absence of rain has begun to cast its effect on the seedlings of paddy. It is withering. Further, a seedling has to be transplanted in 21 days but here in Palamu, it is nearing a month.
What has DC asked his officers to do before the real drought sets in?
Palamu DC Anjaneyulu Dodde has asked his officials to get ready the lists of farmers and the status of their land.
This preparation is to be done when the state government asks for giving relief for the farmers who could not grow at all or had their crops lost in the field itself.
The status of the field like tilled or not tilled, percentage of coverage for seedlings etc, farmers having facility for irrigation or mere dependent upon the rain, status of farmers and their land which is in the contiguity of the water canals etc will come as a ready reckoner when the state government asks for it and it is to be asked after all.
As for the drinking water which too gets a big issue in the drought DC Dodde has asked his officials to ensure that tube wells are in order and where minor repair is needed it should be done at the earliest.
Dodde has asked for the judicious expenditure of the fund of the 14th finance commission on the mending of the tube wells.
An insider who was one of the participants in the meeting convened by the DC said that Dodde told his officers not to go helter and skelter when the state government seeks a detailed report for which a very short time is given for its compliance as when genuine reports and figures are available or secured in advance then compliance will not be any hurly-burly affair.
When will state disaster management authority in Jharkhand step in?
Lagatar24.com correspondent spoke to the secretary of state disaster management authority Amitabh Kaushal in this connection to know what his disaster management is to go about this situation.
Amitabh Kaushal said, “We understand rains are deficient in many parts of Jharkhand. We will be up and doing once the state government on its review of the situation asks for mitigation measures to take on the drought.”
There are different indicators or parameters of the drought and the final call is to be taken regarding the declaration of drought by the state government.
Here it is opportune to mention that during the tenure of Amitabh Kaushal who was the DC Palamu this district had a bought of drought and this officer had travelled north and south, east and west of the district then to find out the situation in the pockets of population.
Why dread of hunger-death stalks Palamu?
The issue of death by hunger or death on account of prolonged absence of food taking has been a bane of Palamu. Here hunger death is not a social issue but political ammunition.
Once a hunger death, means a flurry of denials on the part of the administration whose officials rush to the family, check the hearth, examine the utensils as to when the food was last cooked etc.
The administration pulls its entire energy to contest hunger death while civil society activists remain equally hell-bent to establish hunger death.
Sources said there are instances in Palamu where a post-mortem has been conducted of the person alleged to have died of hunger here.
A man who died of hunger is not decided in Jharkhand by his abject and jejune poverty but by the post-mortem report and if his stomach shows any grain there, then the death is attributed to some co-morbidity said a civil society activist B K Gupta.
The post-mortem report of other cases than that of the person alleged to have died of hunger death takes weeks to come out in the public domain but post mortem report of the alleged hunger death case is released within hours by the administration with minute details like what food especially undigested was in the stomach!
What poor in Palamu eat when rice and maize are not around?
The staple food in Palamu is rice and maize and when it is beyond the capacity of the poor to buy it, the poor turn to a tuber called Gainthee.
Gainthee is chopped and boiled and then it is eaten which is very pungent in taste.
A senior doctor Anil Kumar said people should avoid eating Gainthee as it does not go well with the bowels.
The other food in an emergency is Chakwar Saag which is consumed by the poor in Palamu in a very large number.
