Farmers demand Dindigul be declared drought-hit district
Farmers in Dindigul, India, are demanding that their district be declared drought-hit due to dried-up waterbodies and severe agricultural losses. During a grievance meeting, they requested loan waivers and improved water management, leading to a walkout by some participants dissatisfied with the official response.
Why it matters
The situation underscores the severe impact of climate-related water scarcity on local agricultural economies and the resulting social tension.
With waterbodies drying up and agricultural activities being affected as a result, farmers of Dindigul on Thursday demanded that the district be declared as drought-hit.
They raised the demand at the farmers grievance redress meeting held at the Collectorate here. The meeting was presided over by Collector Durgamoorthi.
The farmers complained that due to drought, waterbodies across the district had dried up. There was no water for agricultural activities, which had been severely affected across the district. Therefore, the district should be declared drought-hit, they said.
Since the farmers had suffered huge losses due to drought, the crop loans should be waived, they added.
They also highlighted the drinking water crisis in the district. The Collector said priority would be given to drinking water supply and new borewells would be sunk to meet the drinking water needs.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in