Informing humanitarians worldwide 24/7 — a service provided by UN OCHA

India

India - Drought crisis in Maharashtra and Karnataka (DG ECHO field, media, Indian government) (ECHO Daily Flash of 07 May 2019)

  • The drought situation has worsened in Maharashtra and Karnataka with 80% of districts in Karnataka and 72% in Maharashtra reeling from water scarcity and crop failure.
  • The State Water Resources Department data on 3 May showed that 3,267 major, medium and minor dams have just 18.51% live storage compared to 29.95% on the same date last year.
  • Nearly 4,774 water tankers have been deployed to Maharashtra to provide residents with water, compared to 937 in the previous year.
  • 8.2 million farmers are affected by the drought. All major crops, including maize, soy, cotton, citrus lemon, pulses and groundnuts have suffered due to poor rainfall.