Daijiworld Media Network - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Oct 10: A central government drought assessment team has inspected drought-hit agricultural fields in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region to assess crop losses, declining water availability and the impact on rural livelihoods following prolonged dry spells.
The delegation, led by Muktanand Agrawal, joint secretary and chief executive officer in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, visited Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts on Friday. The team is scheduled to visit Dharashiv on Saturday.
During a presentation to the delegation, divisional commissioner G Shreekant said Marathwada had received only 65.35 per cent of its average seasonal rainfall. Of the region’s 496 revenue circles, 37 had experienced dry spells lasting more than 30 days, while 155 had recorded rainless periods of 21 to 30 days.
Although kharif sowing covered nearly 52 lakh hectares, prolonged moisture stress has affected crop growth and reduced yield prospects. Reservoir storage across the region has dropped to 30.7 per cent of capacity, while groundwater levels in Jalna, Dharashiv and Latur are 4 to 5 metres below the five-year average, Shreekant said.
The water shortage has also affected drinking water supplies. Around 190 villages and 157 hamlets currently depend on water tankers, while the administration has taken control of 603 wells to meet local needs. Officials said stringent water conservation measures would be required to meet drinking water demand until August next year.
In Beed district, the delegation assessed damage to sugarcane, cotton, soybean and tur crops in Georai and Beed talukas. Farmers said a prolonged dry spell since early July had damaged standing crops and depleted local water sources.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, the team inspected soybean fields belonging to farmer Vikas Devidas Shinde in Demani village and interacted with cultivators to understand the extent of crop losses and rising cultivation costs.
In Jalna district, the delegation, accompanied by district collector Ashima Mittal, visited drought-affected soybean, cotton, ginger and sweet lime farms in Badnapur and Ambad talukas. The team also inspected a dried-up farm pond, parched wells and the nearly depleted Galhati medium irrigation project. Declining water availability has put the livelihoods of 106 families dependent on fishing at risk.
Madan Rambhau Mote, a farmer from Georai taluka, said repeated dry spells had damaged his crops and forced him to purchase water from tankers after his well ran dry, further increasing his farming expenses.
The team also inspected the dried-up Sindphana riverbed and reviewed water availability at Majalgaon dam, where storage had fallen to just 26 per cent of normal levels.
Apart from assessing agricultural losses, the delegation interacted with women agricultural labourers to understand how crop failures were affecting rural employment and household incomes. The discussions highlighted the wider economic impact of the drought on communities dependent on agriculture.
The delegation included Sunil Kumar Dubey, deputy director of the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre; NITI Aayog adviser Dr Jaspal Singh; and livestock officer Dr Sakshi Bhadoria. Maharashtra agriculture secretary Parimal Singh also accompanied the team.
Agrawal said the delegation would physically verify the information submitted by the Maharashtra government before preparing an assessment report for the Centre. The report will help establish the extent of drought-related crop losses and the broader impact on the region.