Drought-affected Regions in India
After two consecutive years of weak monsoons, a quarter of India's population, spread across 10 states, has been reeling from severe water shortage. With summers hitting the country, a noticeable number of families and farmers in remote villages walk long distances to spot water as their wells get dried up. Souring temperature in parts of central, eastern and southern India has made the matter worse.
Here's a look at the 10 drought-hit states in India:
Out of 36 districts in Maharashtra, 21 are facing drought. The Maharashtra government is mulling a law that would make it mandatory for the industries to use recycled water. The government decided to run water trains to provide water to drought-hit regions, especially Marathwada.
2. Odisha
Though the state initially had 12 districts hit by drought, four new districts are facing water shortage. The names of these districts are: Balasore, Boudh, Jajpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Khurda, Mayurbhanj, Nayagarh, Nabarangpur, Puri, Subarnapur, Balangir, Jharsuguda, Nuapada and Bargarh. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced Rs 1,000-crore package for farmers hit by drought conditions in these 16 districts.
3. Telangana
In Telangana, all districts except Adilabad and Kammam have been hit by drought. The heat wave has claimed 66 lives with the highest number of casualties being reported from Mahbubnagar (28 deaths). Districts including Medak, Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal have also witnessed several heat-related deaths.
4. Rajasthan
At least 19 out of 33 districts in Rajasthan are drought-affected. PHED Minister Kiran Maheshwari has already allocated Rs. 50 lakh to each district to undertake necessary activities for improving water supply.
5. Madhya Pradesh
Out of 51 districts in Madhya Pradesh, 46 are hit by drought. The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has decided to release 55 per cent of its annual MGNREGA budgetary allocation of Rs. 38,500 crore by June 2016.
6. Jharkhand
At least 22 of 24 districts in Jharkhand are facing drought. Though the state didn't receive any money from NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), Rs. 143.25 crore has been allotted under the SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund).
7. Uttar Pradesh
Out of 75 districts in Uttar Pradesh, 50 have been affected by drought. Worst hit among all is the Bundelkhand region, where the farmers would receive Rs. 1,304 crore as drought relief under NDRF.
8. Karnataka
Out of a total of 30 districts in Karnataka, 27 are facing acute water shortage. Karnataka government is reaching out to private borewells to augment drinking water supply to drought-hit villages via multiple tankers.
9. Andhra Pradesh
45 heat-related deaths have been reported from Andhra Pradesh till date. Andhra Pradesh government has informed the Centre about requirement of Rs. 10,000 crore for solving rural drinking water problem by 2019.
10. Chhattisgarh
With most parts of Chhattisgarh reeling under drought, the state CM has announced setting aside Rs. 223 crore for drought relief for farmers and another Rs. 150 crore for the seeds.
Apart from the above list, Indian states nearing drought include Gujarat, West Bengal, Haryana and Bihar.
Last Updated on : April 21, 2016
