Maharashtra drought: Crop surveys begin in 265 talukas as super El Nino looms large

• Maharashtra has begun preparing crop inspection reports after declaring 265 of 358 talukas drought-affected

• Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said affected farmers will receive appropriate assistance after the assessments

• Fadnavis warned the state should prepare for worsening conditions if El Niño intensifies, with the pattern expected to peak in February

The Maharashtra government has begun preparing crop inspection reports after declaring 265 of the state’s 358 talukas drought-affected, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday, adding that affected farmers would receive appropriate assistance after the assessments.

The state government on Saturday declared drought in 265 talukas, or about 74 per cent of the state, citing rainfall deficit. It announced relief measures including crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions and power bill subsidies.

Fadnavis said the government had begun the process of preparing crop inspection reports and was working to complete the procedures required before financial assistance is released.

“The assistance will be provided to the affected talukas. Twelve emergency measures have been approved, and at the first trigger we already issued orders for their implementation,” he said.

The chief minister said the government had received some complaints about talukas being left out of the drought assessment, but described their number as small. He said crop losses would also be assessed in those areas.

Fadnavis said farmers affected by crop losses would be covered under “Trigger Three”, adding that no affected farmer would be left out.

On water management, he said each district should prepare its own water plan based on available stocks.

Water could be reserved to meet requirements through July and August 2027, while surplus supplies could be diverted for other uses, including Rabi crops or industry.

He said several large reservoirs currently had abundant water and were full, but stressed that decisions on allocation should be based on water availability in individual districts and talukas rather than through a uniform policy.

Fadnavis also raised concerns about the possibility of worsening weather conditions linked to El Niño. He said the weather pattern was expected to peak in February before weakening as the Pacific Ocean cools.

“Considering these possibilities, we should prepare in every way and be ready to face issues if the El Niño effect intensifies,” he said.

The drought declaration follows a period of rainfall deficit across parts of Maharashtra and comes with the state government preparing relief measures while monitoring water availability ahead of the coming agricultural seasons.