Severe drought in Maharashtra and Karnataka, 8.2 million farmers affected, India
Image credit: Belurmath
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, DG ECHO reports.
The State Water Resources Department data on May 3 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.
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