Cooperatives can fight drought

This is regarding a letter by L R Sharma k0DNH IDUPHUV DZDUHy -XQH $Q DVVXUHG ZD\ WR WDFNOH GURXJKW LV E\ collecting surface runoff during rains and using it in dry spells. Since rainfall has been moderate to heavy in recent years, harvesting surface runoff in farm reservoirs should be done urgently. Since farm reservoirs can be built only on large farms, the government should encourage farmers to join hands, form farmers cooperatives and consolidate small holdings into large areas. The government should also provide incentives to farmers cooperatives and remove all bottlenecks that hamper their formation. S VENKATARAMAN VIA EMAIL