Wayanad panchayats face severe drought amid weak monsoon
Driven by severe monsoon deficits and climate change, Wayanad’s eastern panchayats face acute drinking water crises and crop failures, prompting urgent demands for the region to be officially declared drought-hit.
Driven by severe monsoon deficits and climate change, Wayanad’s eastern panchayats face acute drinking water crises and crop failures, prompting urgent demands for the region to be officially declared drought-hit.
Driven by severe monsoon deficits and climate change, Wayanad’s eastern panchayats face acute drinking water crises and crop failures, prompting urgent demands for the region to be officially declared drought-hit.
Kalpetta: Facing a weak monsoon, the grama panchayats of Pulpally, Thirunelly and Mullankolli are sliding into a severe drought. While Kerala as a whole is experiencing an acute rainfall deficit, eastern pockets of Wayanad district are already reeling under a worsening drinking water crisis.
The Thirunelly Grama Panchayat has formally petitioned Chief Minister V D Satheesan, who also chairs the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA), demanding that the panchayat be officially declared drought-hit. People’s representatives have urged the government to roll out immediate relief packages for all affected sectors, especially paddy farming, dairy husbandry, and plantation crops. Meanwhile, authorities in Pulpally are preparing to submit a similar representation to the Chief Minister, while neighbouring Mullankolli faces an equally alarming situation.
47% Rainfall Deficit in Thirunelly
According to meteorological data recorded by the Thirunelly Panchayat in association with the Hume Centre for Ecology’s Weather Lab, the region registered a 47% deficit during the southwest monsoon. Records from the nearby IHRD centre paint an even bleaker picture, clocking a 53% shortfall over the same period.
Grama Panchayat President Anju Balan pointed out that under Central government guidelines, a rainfall deficit exceeding 25% is sufficient ground to declare a drought. To track hyper-local weather shifts and help farmers navigate erratic rainfall patterns, the local body has instituted a community-based weather monitoring network run by 15 trained volunteers.
Over the past month, average temperatures in Thirunelly rose by 2°C. "The abnormal heat has triggered premature flowering in the paddy crop," said Rajesh Krishnan, CEO of the Thirunelly Agri Producer Company. He noted that the weak monsoon severely disrupted both the transplanting and vegetative growth stages of paddy. Farmers now fear catastrophic crop losses if the dry spell persists.
65% Rainfall Deficit in Pulpally
Pulpally panchayat typically expects an average annual rainfall of 1,522.57 mm, usually receiving decent precipitation during the southwest monsoon and the months immediately following it. This year, however, the rains virtually dried up by October, leaving the area with a staggering 65% deficit compared to the seasonal normal. This sharp drop in rainfall and the relentless stretch of rainless days have thrown local agriculture and everyday life into complete disarray.
Pulpally had weathered a similar dry spell back in 2022. That year, an almost total lack of rain through April and May (just 75.4 mm in May) followed by a meager 54 mm in June pushed the farming community to the brink, logging the highest number of dry days in the region. Climate experts warn that this grim pattern is repeating itself.
Paddy tracts and farmlands across Pulpally have turned arid. Essential drinking water sources, including household open wells and natural springs, are rapidly drying up, compounding the hardships faced by residents. As the acute water shortage persists, a severe shortage of cattle fodder has also hit the dairy belt.