Odisha hit by drought
Thursday 2 nd July, 2010
After a year Odisha has been hit by a severe drought again. More than 5,000 families living in the coastal area have been affected. Officials say the state has incurred a huge loss in its paddy crops worth more than 500 crores. There is scarcity of food and drinking water in the affected area. The people are dying due to starvation.
The State Minister said that the government had taken all the measures it could to ensure that the food and drinking water is available to those affected. Various NGO’* have also come to provide help and support to the people by providing food, water, milk, clothes etc. to the affected people. A leading state environmentalist said, the destruction of forest land and the lack of water conservation policy were two key factors responsible for the drought. Government has announced to pay Rs. 25,000 to the affected family as compensation.
