Introduction
Drought means the acute dryness resulting from the failure of rain. When drought occurs, a dry of alarm sweeps over the country. Drought is deadlier than flood or cyclone.
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Cause
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Failure of rain gives rise to drought. Failure of rain is due to the following reasons. In India, rain depends on the wind, called monsoon. When monsoon breaks, rain occurs. But monsoon by nature quite uncertain. Some year it comes too early. Some year it comes too late. Some year it carries plenty of water. Some year it carries vary little of it. The year in which monsoon comes dry is the year of drought. A forest, by nature, has the power to pull down the clouds from the sky. But forests are now thinned away, as they are constantly spoiled by their trees and timbers. Consequently, they lose the power of drawing to clouds. So the rain falls. When the rain falls drought succeeds.
General Condition
As there is no rain heat of the sun sets terrible. The sun seems to be a bundle of fire-brands. All are parched by the scorching rays of the sun. The terrible heat burns up the green vegetation. It burns up the new-born crops. Grasses dry and pale. Nothing on the earth is lef unscathed by the sweeping rage of drought. Day by day, water in rivers and reservoirs get less and less and then altogether dries up. The green beauty of trees and plants fades away. The thirsty birds perch on the dry twigs with their beaks open.. The milch animals go dry. Their throats are parched with a terrible kind of thirst. People suffer from scarcity of water. The way-faters rush at the distant mirage; they are deceived. The farmers look up into the sky for a drop of water. But they see drought, terrible drought. Crops cannot thrive in the droughty conditions. So famine breaks out. The area is sized with fateful state of famine. People die in number and their animals too. The Government tries to cope with the situation relief is granted. But a scanty relief cannot redress a natural calamity.
Conclusion
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Prevention is better than cure. We of course cannot prevent the force of drought. But we can certainly make provisions against it. We keep in reserve a large stock of food and fodder. We can sink for us a large number of water-pipes. Our farmer can grow the greens, which need a small amount of water. It is an age of advanced science. Hence, at present it is quite possible to protect and artificial rain over the drought-affected area.