El Nino to peak in February, Fadnavis says every farmer will get help

Rainfall failed Maharashtra this year, and the drought-like conditions it created could worsen in the coming months as the effect of El Nino is set to intensify further. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said this at a press conference in Nagpur, where he outlined the government's ongoing relief measures and signalled that people should be prepared for further challenges ahead.

Fadnavis said El Nino is caused by warming in the Pacific Ocean. Given the current situation, experts estimate that its effect will keep increasing and reach its peak in February. He said ocean temperatures would then start falling after February, and conditions would gradually return to normal. However, he made clear that the administration and the public would need to be fully prepared to face whatever difficulties and challenges arise in the meantime.

Some parts of the state saw heavy rain at the start of the monsoon this year, but rainfall then stayed away for a long stretch, causing heavy damage to agriculture. Crops that farmers had worked hard to raise were destroyed by the weather before they could be harvested. As a result, the state government moved quickly and declared drought under "Trigger 1" in 265 of the state's 358 talukas. This means drought has been declared in about 75 percent of the state's area, and war-footing measures are now being rolled out there.

The Chief Minister assured that the government would provide equal assistance to everyone in these 265 drought-declared talukas. Twelve immediate measures have already been approved, and the administration has begun the process of panchnama (crop-loss assessment) on a fast track. Talukas not currently included in the provisional list will also be resurveyed. Fadnavis said firmly that such areas would be added to the list under "Trigger 3," so that not a single struggling farmer is left without government help.

On water, the Chief Minister said everyone would need to use it sparingly in these difficult conditions, and as much help as possible must reach drought-affected people. He has directed that a separate plan be prepared for each district. Under this, existing water stocks will be preserved for use until July-August, and the remaining water will be planned for reuse locally for rabi season farming and for factories, so that not a single drop of water is wasted.