Shiv Sena (UBT) warns of prolonged Maha drought, demands urgent farm relief

• Shiv Sena (UBT) warned that Maharashtra could face nine to ten months of severe drought following the monsoon’s withdrawal

• A Saamana editorial cited rainfall deficits in more than 20 districts, alongside crop losses and shortages of drinking water and cattle fodder

• The party criticised the government’s response, saying farmers needed immediate assistance rather than ministerial visits and drought declarations

Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday demanded urgent relief for Maharashtra’s drought-hit farmers, warning that the monsoon’s withdrawal had left the state facing the prospect of nine to ten months of severe water scarcity.

An editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, said the absence of late-season showers had extinguished farmers’ remaining hopes of salvaging crops. The criticism followed the India Meteorological Department’s announcement that the monsoon had withdrawn from most parts of Maharashtra.

According to the editorial, more than 20 of the state’s 36 districts experienced substantial rainfall deficits. A delayed monsoon disrupted initial sowing, while a subsequent dry spell lasting almost two months damaged crops across Marathwada, Vidarbha and central Maharashtra.

The editorial put Solapur’s rainfall shortfall at 58 per cent, followed by Beed at 51 per cent, Hingoli at 49 per cent and Jalna at 48 per cent. Ahilyanagar and Dharashiv each recorded a 46 per cent deficit, it said, while even the usually rain-rich coastal district of Sindhudurg registered a shortfall of 36 per cent.

The party also questioned how officials were presenting the crisis to ministers. It claimed that local authorities in Solapur had taken the guardian minister to a green, irrigated farm instead of showing the damaged fields, describing the visit as a mockery of farmers’ suffering.

Unusually early heat had compounded the shortages, the editorial said. Conditions normally associated with October had emerged by mid-August, with temperatures reaching 36°C. It linked the persistent heat to drying pastures, wells and local water bodies, leaving communities struggling to secure drinking water and fodder.

The editorial further reported a fresh wave of farmer suicides in Vidarbha and Marathwada, which it attributed to financial distress.

Shiv Sena (UBT) said a drought declaration alone would not fulfil the government’s responsibilities. It criticised ministers and political leaders for returning to the Secretariat after visits to agricultural areas, leaving farmers waiting for assistance as the crisis deepened.

With IANS inputs