MALAPPURAM: The inter-ministerial team of the Central government which assessed the impact of drought in Malappuram district has stated that the district was one of the worst drought hit areas in the state. The six-member team led by Ashwani Kumar, joint secretary of the ministry of agriculture, took stock of the intensity of drought by visiting several affected areas. He said that the drinking water shortage and crop loss were severe. The team will apprise the Union government about the situation to ensure adequate compensation, they said. Minister for local self government, Dr K.T. Jaleel apprised the team about the intensity of the drought.
A central team inspects the Vellaloor Yela Nagaroor panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district which to assess the drought situation.
He submitted a detailed report on the situation and assessed the loss at Rs 34.35 crore. The minister said that as many as 3,956 farmers have been affected by the crop loss. He has sought a compensation package of Rs 10.30 cr for the agricultural sector and Rs 24.5 Cr to enhance the drinking water supply in the affected places. The central team has asked the district administration to take steps to protect the water sources in a phased manner in order to face the drought in the long run. Besides the Minster, district collector Amit Meena, sub collector Jafar Malik, deputy collectors Dr. J.O Arun, C. Abdul Rasheed were also accompanied the central team which include senior official from power, finance and agricultural ministries.
