Karnataka faces worst drought in 40 years. Catholic Church launches aid
Bangalore (AsiaNews) - The drought that has "hit the Indian state of Karnataka (India West Central) is the worst in 40 years”, reported Siddaramamiah, chief minister of the state, yesterday at a conference of regional commissioners, deputy commissioners and of the executive officers of the Zilla Panchayats [district council - Ed] to handle the lack of water in the territory. Msgr. Henry D'Souza, Bishop of Bellary, told AsiaNews: "The Christian community, made up largely of Dalits, it is the hardest hit. We must help Catholics benefit from state aid".
India is suffering from its most serious water shortage in recent times. The data show that the worst hit states are Karnataka and Maharashtra, with several districts that have exhausted all of their water supplies. The lack of monsoon rains is causing serious damage to crops, with repercussions on the lives of workers and their families. That is why the Prime Minister of Karnataka has ordered a block of leave for all administrative officials, except in cases of emergency. He also asked to cease sending personnel on training courses.
The leader has also stressed the importance of setting up food banks and cattle farms. He asked the Secretary of State to implement sanctions in case of negligence on the part of employees of the taluk [departments - ed] and all directors to increase health checks to prevent the spread of epidemics.
Msgr. D'Souza reports that "the most affected are farmers who do not own land and small landowners. Out of 176 talukas, at least 135 are in serious drought conditions. " In this situation only the large landowners who take water from the dams have had a harvest. But they also "have low chances of getting a second one, because this year the dams water supplies are reduced by half."
According to official data of the 2011 census, in the State of Karnataka has 61 million inhabitants, of which about 35 million in rural areas. The Karnataka State Department of Agriculture reports there are 2.1 million small farmers and 67 thousand large landowners in the territory.
The prelate adds that "some small farmers who have sown during the mild rains in June, have now lost their harvest and cannot plant seeds. So along with other farmers they are emigrating to cities in search of work on construction sites. " In this regard, Siddaramamiah urged administrators to take appropriate steps to prevent mass migration to the towns, offering job opportunities according to Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme [Indian labor law, passed in 2005 with the aim of ensuring better living conditions in rural areas - Ed].
Catholics, the bishop concludes, "are mostly Dalits (outcasts) and so suffer the lack of monsoon rains in particular. The Bellary Diocesan Development Society (BDDS), through its self-help groups, is supporting the Dalits so that they can benefit from the health protection guaranteed by the government law".
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19/07/2005
