Mumbai, 7 September 2026 – The Shiv Sena (UBT) launched a pointed criticism of both the central government and the Maharashtra administration on Saturday, contending that the so‑called “double‑engine” dispensation is turning a blind eye to an escalating agrarian emergency as dry conditions push most of the state toward drought.
In its daily Saamana, the party warned that, if current forecasts hold true, almost 90 per cent of Maharashtra could face an acute drought within the next two months. The warning comes against a backdrop of El Niño‑driven dryness affecting more than 350 districts across India, heightening fears of shortages in food grains and drinking water.
The editorial highlighted that rains have failed to reach 31 of the state’s 36 districts, leaving standing crops exposed to scorching heat. A dry spell lasting 30 to 45 days has devastated farmers, with some districts missing the normal monsoon entirely. Monsoon rains arrived roughly 15 days later than usual, followed by a brief July downpour that delayed sowing by a month.
Although Mumbai, Pune, western Maharashtra and Nashik recorded isolated heavy showers in July, rainfall ceased from the first week of August and has not resumed. Crops that had just entered the critical flowering stage – soybean pods, cotton bolls and maize ears – were left without water. Farmers relying on well water exhausted their July reserves, making it nearly impossible to save the standing crops.
Dry‑land cultivators without irrigation infrastructure suffered the worst damage. Cash crops such as soybean, cotton, maize, pigeon pea and turmeric withered over lakhs of hectares, while pulses like black gram and green gram were completely lost. The traditional month of Shravan passed without a single drop in many areas, a phenomenon not seen for decades.
More than 50 lakh hectares in Vidarbha and 48 lakh hectares in Marathwada were sown this season. Facing withered fields, some desperate farmers have begun ploughing the dead crops to ready the land for the upcoming Rabi season, yet early September has still brought no rain, raising doubts about the feasibility of planting winter crops such as wheat and Bengal gram.
Image for illustration purposes only
📰 Source: Mangalorean News