Maharashtra govt declares 151 more talukas drought-hit; Nashik, Aurangabad, Palghar among few severely affected

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared 151 talukas (administrative divisions) in 26 different districts drought-hit. Of these 151 talukas, 112 have been declared severely drought-hit, and the remaining 39 talukas are affected by medium drought.

The government has asked all the concerned ministers to visit the affected areas and submit a report. It also asked the concerned officials to analyse the damage to the crop between June to September, decrease in the groundwater level due to the deficient rain in the season.

Speaking about the situation, Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that the declaration of drought-hit areas is not enough, adding that substantial relief work shall also be done by the government.

On 23 October, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced 180 divisions (tehsil) as drought-hit and also announced eight measures to provide relief from the situation.

Earlier this month, the state government identified a total of 180 talukas to be drought-hit and instructed the concerned authorities to conduct a proper study of the ground-level situation as per the revised drought code 2016.

Solapur, Satara, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Palghar are among the few districts that have severely drought-hit divisions.