No Water Equals No Business - Getting Serious About a Texas Size Drought

The 2012 drought was apparently the driest period the United States has experienced since 1895.(Source:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130412-drought-great-plains-weather-environment)

Water which has traditionally been a local/state issue is increasingly becoming a national one. Many people have not only lost jobs but businesses such as power plants, industrial operations, food processing plants all stand to be affected. But the drought has also caused also a cultural shift in Texas. Read more @http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/sunday-review/getting-serious-about-a-texas-size-drought.html

1 Answer

1. Kiran, liked the title and it is truth. We had a site visit last month to India, Maharashtra. The current drought in Maharashtra seems to have broken all previous records, with millions of human beings and livestock suffering hunger in absence of food and fodder. Almost one-fifth of Maharashtra is reeling under drought. Out of the total 22.56 million hectares of land under cultivation, only a small 3.96 million hectares are under irrigation, while the rest is left to the mercy of the prolonged dry period. As said no water no business, here the scar water has given big business only to politicians. Its heart breaking to see the farmers crying for water, cattle without food. You can get news related to this everywhere.

   1 Comment

   1. Yes it is a very difficult situation Papiha. We're seeing more and more of such extreme events in many countries. I also read reports of how there is conflict regarding the use of 60,000 liters of water to prepare cricket pitches for the T20 match. http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/04/02/bjp-objects-to-ipl-in-drought-hit-maharashtra/ No easy answers there. I guess we will have to come to terms with some tough choices in the years ahead.