Drought

From Starlink's security concerns and Maharashtra's drought politics to challenges facing Modi's third term and Shashi Tharoor's political branding, today's opinions examine a variety of issues

The drought is almost providential for the ruling party as it postpones the hour of reckoning

From India-US trade negotiations and Maharashtra's drought to GST simplification and public-capital governance, today's pieces examine policy trade-offs and institutional capacity

Focus should go beyond immediate relief

Earlier in September, Maharashtra declared drought in 265 talukas, out of its 358 talukas. Against this backdrop, the state has planned the use of available water stocks.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, during which the latter assured the Centre's support in tackling the drought. Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Shinde said Modi held an extensive discussion on the drought situation in Maharashtra and enquired about the status of water, fodder, and crop damage. The meeting lasted an hour, said an aide of Shinde. The Maharashtra government on September 26 declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or 74 per cent of the state, amid rainfall deficit. Shinde's meeting with Modi comes in the backdrop of a tussle between the Mahayuti allies Shiv Sena and the BJP over the MLC election for the Pune Teachers Constituency, a seat for which both the parties have announced candidates. Shinde said PM Modi sought details on water availability, agricultural conditions and fodder for livestock and assured the state of the Centre's support. The Deputy CM expressed confidence that substantial assistance

The Maharashtra government on Monday said it will impose minimum 10 per cent water cut in all urban and rural local bodies from October 16 amid a deficient monsoon. State Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said his department had undertaken detailed dam-wise and use-wise planning of available water stocks up to August 31, 2027, keeping in mind the impact of El Nino and the possibility of a drought-like situation. "Drinking water will be given the highest priority. All municipal corporations, municipalities and gram panchayats have been directed to implement a 10 per cent water cut from October 16," Mahajan said in a statement. The government has also directed local bodies to undertake special drives to prevent water leakage and operate sewage treatment plants at full capacity. Treated wastewater will be used for activities such as gardening, construction and washing, it said. Industries have been directed to reuse or recycle at least 30 per cent of the water used by them, ...

The Centre will provide all possible support to farmers reeling from drought and floods in various states, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, noting that the country is witnessing adverse effects of climate change. Contingency plans had been prepared and shared with states to guide farmers on suitable crops to grow in a shorter time during low rainfall, with seed banks and alternative arrangements in place, along with advisories issued to state governments, Chouhan told PTI Videos in Nagpur on Saturday. The Maharashtra government has declared drought in 74 per cent of the state. Chouhan said his ministry was in constant touch with the Maharashtra government over the drought situation. He said contingency plans for the affected districts were ready. "We will provide every possible support to the farmers in coordination with the state government," he said. While some states in the country were dealing with floods, others have drought, the minister noted, addi

The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or 74 per cent of the state, amid rainfall deficit and announced relief measures, including crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions, and power bill subsidies. The government will announce financial assistance for crop losses after the prescribed procedure. According to a government resolution (GR) issued late on Friday, 265 talukas spread across 32 districts cover 74 per cent of the state. At 74, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has the highest number of drought-affected talukas. Another government order issued on Saturday said that a separate GR will be issued on financial assistance for crop losses suffered by farmers in the 265 talukas after the prescribed procedure. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed district collectors to initiate crop-damage assessments immediately and assured that farmers remain the centre of the government's relief efforts. Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar said

The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared 265 of the 358 talukas in the state as drought-affected, announcing relief measures, including restructuring of crop loans, concession in land revenue and deferment of recovery of agriculture-related loans. According to a government resolution issued late on Friday, this covers 74 per cent of the state. The decision follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's recent visit to some drought-affected parts of the state. The state government has activated 'Trigger-1' under its manual for drought management 2016 (updated in 2020) and Drought Management Code to declare drought conditions and initiate relief. Trigger-1 is the first stage in the state's drought framework, activated by a rainfall deficit of more than 25 per cent combined with a prolonged dry spell of 21 days. A report submitted by the Agriculture Commissioner found drought-like conditions in the 265 talukas across 32 districts due to rainfall deficit and other factors since ...

The 1972 drought affected nearly 25 million people in Maharashtra. CM Devendra Fadnavis said the government is taking measures to support farmers amid the current crisis

A powerful El Niño in 1997 killed at least 30,000 people and caused an estimated $100 billion in damage worldwide

Heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and storms cost the world more than USD 120 billion in 2025, according to a new report analysing the escalating cost of climate change. The report by UK-based NGO Christian Aid underscores the cost with fossil fuel companies playing a central role in driving the crisis. The report noted that cost of climate inaction is equally clear, as communities continue to bear the brunt of a crisis that could have been averted with urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "These disasters are not natural they are the predictable result of continued fossil fuel expansion and political delay," said Emeritus Professor Joanna Haigh, at Imperial College London. The ten most financially costly events all had an impact of more than USD billion with the combined total topping more than USD 122 billion in damage. Most of these estimates are based only on insured losses, meaning the true financial costs are likely to be even higher, while the human costs are ofte

States such as Rajasthan (73 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (67), and Delhi (60) saw the highest share of districts reporting excess to large excess rainfall

England's drought is putting attention on data centres, which use large amounts of water to keep servers cool, adding to the pressure on already low water supplies

Rising temperatures, driven by climate change, is increasing the atmosphere's 'thirst', making droughts around the world 40 per cent more severe over the past 40 years, according to a new study. Researchers, including those at the University of California-Santa Barbara, US, explained that the atmosphere is becoming warmer, thereby increasing its capacity to hold moisture -- atmospheric evaporative demand -- and making droughts more severe, even in places where rainfall has stayed the same. "Drought is based on the difference between water supply (from precipitation) and atmospheric water demand. Including the latter reveals substantial increases in drought as the atmosphere warms," Chris Funk, director of the Climate Hazards Center at the University of California-Santa Barbara, said. The findings published in the journal Nature indicate that atmospheric evaporative demand is playing an "increasingly important role in driving severe droughts", with the tendency likely to continue in

Iran's land is collapsing under years of drought, overuse, and poor planning, putting millions, critical infrastructure, and world heritage sites at risk

The Maharashtra government is creating an ecosystem to attract investment across all regions and implementing four river-linking projects worth around Rs 3 lakh crore to make the state drought-free, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday. He said prominent regions and cities of Maharashtra are emerging as hubs in different sectors and this will address the issue of regional imbalance. Speaking at the 'India Global Forum Next" event in Mumbai, Fadnavis maintained Maharashtra is ensuring smooth and uninterrupted facilities for investors, and an ecosystem is being created to attract investment across all regions of the state. As a result, a balanced development will be seen throughout Maharashtra over the next five years, he insisted. Fadnavis underlined that the state is creating new investment opportunities and supporting the global supply chain. "The state is also leading in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in India. In addition, many major national and ...

Weather extremes of 2024 are wreaking havoc with how water moves around the planet, contributing to ferocious floods and crippling droughts, according to a new report. India saw record-high precipitation, along with countries in West Africa and Europe, it found. Global warming, caused by fossil fuel burning, is increasing the strength and rainfall intensity of monsoons, cyclones and other storm systems, an international ream of researchers, led by those at The Australian National University (ANU), said. "2024 was a year of extremes but was not an isolated occurrence. It is part of a worsening trend of more intense floods, prolonged droughts, and record-breaking extremes," lead author Albert van Dijk, a professor of water science and management, ANU, said. About four billion people, or half the world's population, from across 111 countries are estimated to have experienced their warmest year yet. "Rising sea surface temperatures intensified tropical cyclones and droughts in the Amaz

At least 11 districts, including Patna, Alappuzha and Kendrapara, are at a "very high" risk for both floods and droughts, necessitating immediate intervention, according to a climate risk assessment report compiled by two IITs. The report was released by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Guwahati and Mandi, in collaboration with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), Bengaluru. According to the report titled "District-Level Climate Risk Assessment for India: Mapping Flood and Drought Risks Using IPCC Framework", 51 districts in India face "very high" flood risk, with 118 more categorised as "high" risk. Vulnerable regions include Assam, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir. The report has flagged that 91 districts were identified with "very high" drought risk and 188 districts faced "high" drought risk, primarily in Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Odisha and Maharashtra. Alarmingly, 11 districts, including Patna (Bihar