Raising serious concerns on chances of facing extensive drought in the state, the Apunba Imagi Machasing (AIMS), Manipur on Thursday urged the state governor to exercise emergency measures to save lives from drought during the crucial hour of COVID-19 pandemic in Manipur.
The situation will turn bad to worse in the state if timely measures are not undertaken, AIMS stated in a release signed by its director Atom Sunil Singh. Manipur falls under the climate group of ‘Cwa’ according to the world’s climatic division classified by Koeppen, and therefore, Manipur experiences the subtropical monsoon climate with heavy precipitation during the rainy season, AIMS stated.
The average annual rainfall of Manipur is 1,881mm; however, according to World weather online, Manipur received only 242.6 mm to date. It shows that Manipur experiences extreme below-normal precipitation, it added. “There is no water in the paddy field for crop production due to a water shortage in the fields. The drought situation in Manipur will further worsen the condition in the state and there is an urgent need to control the drought. It is high time to exercise emergency measures to save lives from drought in Manipur,” it added.
The rains herald the beginning of agricultural activities. Agriculture is essential not only because it provides food for the people of Manipur but also for the employment it gives, AIMS stated. Over 70 per cent of the total population directly or indirectly depend on agriculture for their sustenance. Over two-thirds of the main workers in Manipur are engaged in agriculture as cultivators and agricultural labourers. About nine-tenths of the total cultivated area is under cereals, mainly rice, it added.
