Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said drought caused by El Niño, massive crop losses and the possibility of drinking water and fodder shortages were the biggest immediate challenges facing the state.
On September 26, the Maharashtra government declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or 74 per cent of the state, amid rainfall deficit and announced relief measures, including crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions, and power bill subsidies. Because a major part of the state lies in the rain-shadow region, which receives inadequate rainfall, fadnavis said 52 per cent of Maharashtra’s geographical area is drought-prone. “Challenges are always there. We are a developing economy, and in a developing economy, there is always some challenge or another. El Niño is a climate pattern marked by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean. In India, it weakens the southwest monsoon winds, often leading to less rainfall, dry spells, and higher risks of heatwaves and drought.
But if you ask me about the immediate challenge, I believe the drought caused by El Niño this year is the biggest challenge,” he said. “This has always been the case because a major part of Maharashtra lies in the rain-shadow region, where adequate rainfall does not occur and where the retreating monsoon is the main source of rainfall,” he said.
