The spectre of an impending drought looms large over about 35 gram panchayats in Sukinda and Danagadi blocks in Jajpur district due to scanty rainfall. The paddy crops in these areas are in imminent danger of failing, partially due to water shortage. This follows poor monsoon precipitation in the present season and lack of proper irrigation facilities in the hilly areas of the blocks. With the monsoon bringing little rainfall this time, the land is dry and unfit for cultivation and the worry lines are getting deeper. "There has been no good rain so far this year. Now we are in the throes of a famine," said Sadananda Jena, a farmer from Sukinda. Farming here is dependent on the rain water and villagers say inadequate rainfall over the past four years has reduced them to penury. "There is too much corruption in the system. Only a fraction of the money sanctioned by the Government ever reaches the people. Is the Government doing anything about it?" asked a bitter Jajdev Munda of Sukinda. He is speaking from experience. There are a host of Government schemes to feed the poorest of the poor; provide them with free food grains or offer rice at highly subsidised prices. But, across the district, the grains for the poor often get lost in transit - they are pilfered by corrupt officials and sold in the black market. As such, the poor is left in the lurch. "We cannot let the crop fail. It is our life," said Madan Sahoo of Danagadi , whose family members recently obtained loan of Rs 1 lakh from a bank to dig a bore well to irrigate their land. Last year, the rains were bad and this year is the second in succession with a bad monsoon. This has led to considerable stress on the fallback mechanism. The farmers will have to see at least a major parts of their paddy crops wilting, said Prakash Tika, a farmer of Sukinda. For the farmers of these areas, crop loss due to non-availability of water is a familiar foe for long as the areas are not irrigated by the authority and the farmers never conserve the rain water as water roll down in hilly areas, said Mayadhar Nayak, a noted trade union leader of Sukinda. However, the drought situation is far more complex that they have been facing so far. The farmers and labourers , in particular, are seething in anger as promises made by their elected representatives for bailing them out in distress time are hardly fulfilled, said Sandhu Kotra of Pimpudia village. Hope on kharif crops have almost withered with the month long dry spell in non-irrigated areas in Kankalapala, Olia, Duburi, Dudhijori, Rasola, Kuhika and other villages. Problems like scarcity of fodder, drinking water and wage employment are assuming severe proportions due to scanty rainfall, said Parma Bikra, a farmer of Chinkudipala. When contacted, district Collector of Jajpur SK Malick said, “We have been providing works to a large number of villagers under MNREGA. We are also providing rice under Re 1 scheme to needy persons to mitigate their plight.”