Why in news?

Calls to declare a drought are rising in Maharashtra, as an El Niño-driven rainfall deficit hits the state's agriculture-dependent economy hard. Water scarcity has compounded the crisis, setting back the kharif season and clouding prospects for rabi.

Opposition leaders have demanded an official drought declaration. Maharashtra Chief Minister says the government is taking "all steps necessary" to address the "alarming" situation.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why No Official Declaration Yet?
• The Declaration Process
• The NDRF Criteria for Drought
• How the Kharif Season Was Hit?
• The Water Situation
• The Rainfall Picture

Why No Official Declaration Yet?

• The timing constraint comes from national disaster-relief rules, not political reluctance.
  • Under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) rules, drought declaration for the kharif season (June–October) requires an assessment that can begin only from October 5, once the monsoon starts withdrawing.
  • For the rabi season (October–April), assessment can be held only in March 2027.
  • There is no single, nationally accepted definition of drought. States have the authority to declare drought based on local conditions, but their report must conform to NDRF-specified parameters before the Centre releases disaster relief funds.
• Maharashtra has decided to submit its proposal to the Centre after October 5.

The Declaration Process

• The process runs through several defined steps:
  • State-level surveys and panchanamas (on-ground crop-loss assessments) are already underway, to quantify losses in terms of food production and finances.
  • Once the state submits its report, a central team visits the affected regions to conduct its own independent assessment.
  • Only after this verification can relief funds be unlocked by the Centre.

The NDRF Criteria for Drought

• Drought declaration under NDRF norms rests on multiple indicators, not rainfall alone:
  • Crop loss
  • Moisture Adequacy Index (used to assess soil health)
  • Rainfall deficit
  • Decline in food production
  • Labour migration in search of work
• Specific thresholds also apply:
  • Sowing must fall below 50% of total cultivable kharif/rabi area.
  • Drinking water shortage must be severe.
  • Groundwater tables must be shrinking.
  • There must be a fodder shortage.
  • Rainfall deficit must reach up to 70%.

How the Kharif Season Was Hit?

• Sowing this season was delayed due to erratic rainfall — instead of the usual June 10 start, sowing began only on July 15. Rain failure after sowing then stunted flowering and fruiting.
• The worst-hit crops are soybean and cotton — the mainstay of small and marginal farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha.
• The dry spell has also stunted sugarcane growth in Marathwada and parts of western Maharashtra.
• Government response: During the July monsoon session, the CM announced a Rs 40,385-crore farm loan waiver, with an additional Rs 50,000 incentive for farmers who had been repaying loans regularly.

The Water Situation

• Drinking water scarcity is a major concern, with dam levels well below last year's figures (data as of September 20):
• 
• Region-wise water levels show sharp disparities:
  • Marathwada (highest dam count at 929): just 46%, down from 81% last year.
  • Amravati division: 64%
  • Nagpur division: 72%
  • Pune: 88%
  • Nashik: 83%
  • Konkan: 76%
• Marathwada stands out as the most severely affected region.

The Rainfall Picture

• According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD):
  • 31 of 36 districts in Maharashtra are rain-deficient.
  • 20 of these face a deficit of 25% to 58%.
  • In more than 100 of the state's 355 drought-hit talukas, gaps between rain spells have stretched to 40–60 days.
  • As a result, the main kharif crop, sown across 147 lakh hectares, has withered.
• An unusual pattern has worsened the damage: where rain did fall, it came short and intense, damaging soil health and causing erosion in some areas, rather than providing steady, absorbable moisture.
• Structural vulnerability: Maharashtra's agriculture is largely rain-fed. Its irrigation potential stands at under 20%, far lower than states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, leaving it especially exposed to monsoon variability.

Conclusion

Maharashtra's crisis is real on the ground but procedurally premature on paper. The NDRF's rule-bound calendar, not denial, explains the delay.

What the state needs now is not just an October declaration, but a longer-term shift — greater irrigation coverage — to reduce dependence on a monsoon that keeps growing less reliable.