Marathwadadrought

Marathwada's drought: History of state's sugarcane addiction long precedes the water crisis

While the sugarcane crop might be at the centre of a debate at present with Marathwada reeling under an unprecedented drought, its history in Maharashtra goes way back.

Marathwada's drought: How climate change has destroyed agriculture and ruined farmers

The rise in the country’s annual temperature by 0.7 °C and erratic climatic patterns are sure to affect Marathwada's agriculture which is primarily rainfed

Marathwada’s drought: Shirpur, Jal Biradari projects show impact of small local initiatives

Activists, hydrologists and village leaders have begun to explore the prospect of implementing water conservation efforts in drought-hit Maharashtra

Marathwada's drought: Why debt-ridden farmers are deemed least creditworthy

In Marathwada, crop value has collapsed to near-zero as the drought has shrunk agricultural yields. With it, the ability of farmers to raise loans on their land has declined

Marathwada's drought: 'Toothless' laws lead to water exploitation

Toothless water and irrigation laws in Maharashtra explain the paradox of a state with the largest dam infrastructure facing water scarcity and drought

Marathwada drought: Will outreach help reduce farmer suicides?

Marathwada drought has seen a rise in farmer suicides due to shrinking income and debts. As a result social and medical interventions have increased

Marathwada’s drought: A surveyor of suicides tells the story behind the statistics and the lonely struggle of Indian farmers

Why are Marathwada’s farmers committing suicide? Is it crop failure, mounting debt or alcoholism? To find answers to these questions, Aurangabad-based organisation Swami Ramanand Tirth Sanshodhan Sansthan is doing a survey in Marathwada.

Marathwada's drought: Dry lands, economic deprivation shrinking opportunities, driving workers away from Latur

At first glance, Latur looks like any other Indian town with its dusty congested streets and crowded bazaars. But looks can be deceptive. The town is the epicentre of a process of deindustrialisation and economic deprivation that has spread across the whole district.

Marathwada drought: Maha has the most dams in the country, but the least effective irrigation network, leaving lakhs in the lurch

Marathwada drought: When a dam becomes an end, rather than a means to an end, what you get is a grand water and irrigation system on paper and water scarcity on the ground.

Marathwada's drought: Water scarcity has created a region where trust has eroded and left the social fabric frayed

In recent times, the drought in Marathwada has been reported, discussed and debated, but all from a safe distance. News reports, television debates, social media commentary and even judicial pronouncements have been made regarding the situation.