Context: The declaration of drought across 74% of Maharashtra’s talukas in September highlights the need to rethink drought management. The article argues that drought, or dushkal in Marathi, should not be understood merely as a climatic hazard but as a socially differentiated crisis shaped by inequalities, agricultural practices, public policies and people’s lived experiences.
Key Highlights
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- Drought as a multidimensional phenomenon: Drought results from rainfall deficits and water scarcity, but its impact depends on exposure, vulnerability and society’s capacity to respond. The IPCC distinguishes meteorological, hydrological, agricultural and ecological droughts. El Niño, the Indian Ocean Dipole and climate change influence rainfall patterns and drought severity.
- Unequal social consequences: Wealthier urban households can create private water-storage facilities, whereas poorer communities often queue for water, reduce consumption or purchase expensive supplies. Rural women bear disproportionate burdens in water collection, while farmers and agricultural labourers face livelihood insecurity.
- Agricultural vulnerability: In Maharashtra, rainfed cotton cultivation, rising input costs, volatile markets and groundwater dependence intensify agrarian distress. Farmers may incur debt to drill borewells, while inadequate minimum support price (MSP) procurement can force them to sell crops at low prices.
- Limitations of existing policies: India has improved drought prediction and monitoring through scientific indices and early-warning systems. However, established relief measures—including public works, the Public Distribution System (PDS), crop-loss compensation and subsidised inputs—remain central. The challenge is to combine predictive approaches with effective social protection.
- Groundwater and drinking-water stress: Many irrigation schemes in Maharashtra depend on groundwater, often through privately owned wells. Drinking-water schemes also face implementation challenges, leaving rural communities dependent on tanker supplies during scarcity.
- Importance of lived experiences: Evidence from western Odisha and Bundelkhand suggests that migration, welfare programmes, minor irrigation, collective support and greater political voice have improved resilience for some households. Such experiences should complement scientific data in policy design.
Significance
The article promotes a rights-based understanding of drought. It highlights how poverty, gender, agricultural structures and unequal access to water determine who suffers most. Effective drought policy must therefore address both environmental risks and historical disadvantages.
Concerns
Water-intensive crops such as sugar cane and rice, excessive groundwater extraction, declining public agricultural support and the commodification of water may deepen vulnerabilities. Technocratic approaches risk overlooking local knowledge and unequal access to resources.
Way Forward
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- Integrate scientific forecasting with community knowledge and participatory planning.
- Strengthen rainfed agriculture, crop diversification, procurement and social protection.
- Regulate groundwater extraction and improve equitable access to drinking water.
- Recognise women’s unpaid labour and prioritise vulnerable households in relief measures.
- Encourage locally appropriate water governance rather than relying exclusively on pricing and technology.
Conclusion
Drought management must move beyond predicting rainfall deficits towards reducing unequal vulnerability. Combining scientific evidence, social rights and community participation can create more equitable and sustainable responses to dushkal.
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