The Maharashtra government has officially declared a drought across 265 of its 358 administrative sub-divisions, known as talukas. This declaration, made on September 26, 2026, places nearly 74 percent of the state under emergency relief protocols due to a significant shortfall in monsoon rainfall and extended dry periods, exacerbated by the El Niño effect.
According to a comprehensive assessment report from the Maharashtra Agriculture Commissioner, these 265 talukas met the "Trigger-1" criteria, which specifies a continuous dry spell of at least 21 days without significant precipitation during the critical monsoon season. The state recorded an overall rainfall deficit of 18.8 percent between June 1 and mid-September, severely impacting agricultural regions.
Regions and Crops Hit Hardest
Several districts within the Marathwada, Pune, and Nashik divisions experienced rainfall deficits hovering around 30 percent. Key agrarian districts, including Dharashiv, Amravati, Solapur, and Latur, faced even more drastic shortfalls, with precipitation down by as much as 50 percent. This severe drought has caused extensive damage to the Kharif season crops, which include vital produce such as soybean, cotton, millet, maize, tur, moong, and urad.
Government Announces Relief Measures
Following an extensive review and personal visits to the affected areas, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an immediate package of relief measures designed to support the farming community and rural daily wage earners. These directives aim to cushion the economic blow and provide essential assistance:
- Debt & Tax Relief: Restructuring of existing crop loans, a complete stay on the recovery of agricultural loans, and concessions on land revenue payments.
- Power Subsidies & Protection: Deferment and concessions on electricity bills for agricultural pumps, alongside an absolute ban on disconnecting power supplies for farmers' pumps in declared drought zones.
- Educational Fee Waivers: Full exemption of examination fees for school and college students residing in the affected talukas.
- Water & Fodder Management: Immediate deployment of drinking water tankers to water-scarce villages, coupled with structured provisioning for cattle fodder and livestock care.
- Employment Assistance: Relaxation of operational rules under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) to scale up relief works and ensure steady wages for landless labourers.
District collectors have also been directed to promptly complete loss assessments (panchnamas), utilizing geotagged photos and GPS location tracking to ensure transparent and equitable distribution of compensation.