-Livemint.com/ AP Hundreds of millions of people in at least 13 states are reeling from severe drought, a situation that is expected to worsen in the coming months Shahapur: Shantabai Babulkar’s day begins before dawn with a 5 kilometer trek across barren fields and dusty scrubland to fetch water from a distant well for her family. The two metal pots of muddy water that Babulkar, 58, balances on her head and a...
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The circle of economy, the cycle of drought -Sharad Vyas
-The Hindu Drought has devastated once-prosperous Latur. In this two-part series Sharad Vyas (text) and Vivek Bendre (photographs) report from the parched district. Latur: The water train chugging into Latur last week captured national attention. But it took the spotlight away from the daily struggle of lakhs of people facing the immediate consequences of extended drought and acute water scarcity in Latur district. The vagaries of nature have already taken their toll:...
More »1,000 villages, 8 districts facing Water crisis in Gujarat -Himanshu Kaushik
-The Times of India AHMEDABAD: Vijay Rupani, state water resources minister has stated that eight districts and around 1,000 villages in the state are facing an acute Water crisis. Rupani said, "Due to insufficient rains for the last two years, eight districts — Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Porbandar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Dahod, Panchmahal and Amreli — are facing a drinking water shortage. Around 1,000 villages are in crisis due to drying up of local...
More »Why sugarcane can’t be blamed for Marathwada drought woes -Harish Damodaran
-The Indian Express Every crisis produces its fall guy. This time, it is sugarcane that’s bearing the brunt of the blame for drought, especially in Maharashtra’s worst-affected Marathwada region. Sugarcane, no doubt, requires 2,100-2,200 mm of water, more than the 1,400 mm or so for paddy, 900 mm for cotton, 600 mm for jowar (sorghum) and arhar (pigeon-pea), 550 mm for wheat, and under 500 mm for soyabean and chana (chickpea). But then,...
More »3 Lakh Dead In 20 Years. Here's How World's Largest Democracy Failed Its Farmers! -Maninder Dabas
-IndiaTimes.com Since 1995, nearly three lakh farmers have committed suicide owing to agrarian crisis in the country. In Maharashtra alone nearly 60,000 farmers have ended their lives in last two decades. Last year itself, the western states recorded 3,228 farmer suicides with maximum cases coming from drought hit Marathwada and Vidharbha region. According to the census, nearly 2,000 farmers across India are giving up agriculture daily and opting for other menial jobs...
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