The State Disaster Management Authority on Wednesday declared Kerala as a drought-affected State following a review of the rainfall received during the two monsoon seasons this year and also field-level reports, which spoke of the impending crop loss and drinking water scarcity.

The authority, with the Chief Minister in the chair, met at the conference hall in the Assembly and decided to put each district in charge of a Minister to immediately assess the ground-level situation everywhere and decide on the steps that should be taken to lessen the intensity of the blow that was in store for the State during the summer months ahead.