KOZHIKODE: The district will face the worst drought in its history, warn officials from the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode. As the North East monsoon recorded a deficit of 40 to 50 per cent, the district could not implement rainwater harvesting programmes. The pond and river rejuvenation projects were also badly hit, said CWRDM senior principal scientist Dr P.S. Harikumar.
“We envisioned rainwater harvesting projects on a pilot basis in Olavanna and Peruvayal panchayats and they have been successful. Though we can propose the possible projects needed for each district, implementation has to be done by the local bodies. The North East monsoon recorded a 40 to 50 per cent deficit in rain and that will have a worse impact in summer,” said Dr Harikumar.
The scientist added that the little volume of rain that could have been preserved was left unused. “It needs only a minimum of four days of rain to harvest at the minimum level. However, we failed in utilising even that volume of water, which will also add to the drought,” he said. A drought mitigation presentation would be made in association with Kozhikode Corporation and District Panchayat on January 7, as part of finding better ways to tackle drought during this summer, said the official.
