Marathwada Drought: 265 Talukas Declared, Farmers Still Await Relief

Farmers in drought-hit parts of Maharashtra's Marathwada region are facing severe crop losses, shrinking fodder supplies and drinking water shortages after a prolonged rainfall deficit. The state government has declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, including areas of Dharashiv, where farmers say the announcement has yet to translate into immediate relief. Marathwada has recorded a rainfall deficit of around 38 per cent, while Maharashtra's overall deficit stands at about 18 per cent, with the shortfall reaching nearly 48 per cent in Hingoli.

The September 26 government resolution placed the 265 talukas under Trigger-1 of the drought assessment process. The measures include restructuring crop loans, stopping recovery of agricultural loans, concessions on electricity bills for agricultural pumps, continued power supply and arrangements for drinking water and fodder. The government has also ordered crop-loss assessments through panchnamas, with officials instructed to document damage using photographs and GPS coordinates. Compensation for the current losses will be determined separately after the assessments are completed.

In Dharashiv, the impact is already visible in the fields and households. Farmers said a prolonged break in rainfall during August damaged soybean and other kharif crops at critical flowering and pod-filling stages, with a district-level assessment finding losses of 50 to 90 per cent in several areas. In Bangarwadi village, farmer Achru Bangar said the damaged soybean crop forced him to depend more heavily on dairy farming, but the shortage of fodder has put even that source of income under pressure. He said he now travels to another taluka to obtain fodder and may have to move his cattle to fodder camps if conditions worsen.

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Water shortages are adding to the pressure on rural households. Dharashiv resident Ashok Chavan said tankers have been supplying water in his area since March, with one arriving approximately every 15 days. Nearby lakes, wells and borewells have dried up, leaving families dependent on tanker supplies for their domestic needs. The current crisis has also compounded unresolved losses from last year's excessive rainfall and flooding. In Washi taluka, a farmer said heavy rain washed away soil from his agricultural land and officials subsequently conducted a panchnama, but he claimed that compensation had still not reached his account a year later.

Questions have also been raised over the delivery of previously announced assistance. Kalamb MLA Kailas Patil has questioned how much of the approximately Rs 32,000-crore relief package announced after the 2025 damage actually reached farmers through direct benefit transfers. Confusion has also surrounded the Rs 47,000-per-hectare assistance figure, which applies to specific categories of land damage such as soil erosion or land being washed away because of changes in river channels or water flow, rather than all crop losses. The agrarian distress is reflected in the reported figure of 653 farmer suicides in Marathwada between January and August 2026.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has described the situation in Latur and Dharashiv as extremely serious and said farmers will not have to wait for central funds before the state provides assistance. He has also said arrangements are being made for drinking water and fodder and that the loan-waiver scheme will continue. For farmers in Dharashiv, however, the immediate concern remains the timely completion of crop-loss assessments and the delivery of pending compensation and newly announced drought assistance. The declaration has formally recognised the crisis, but many affected farmers are still waiting for relief to reach their fields, homes and bank accounts.

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