Mumbai, October 23: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday declared droughts in 180 tehsils of the state, which are facing a heavy water scarcity due to deficient rainfall in the monsoon season. The drought condition is because the state received less than 77 percent of average rainfall, which has led to the indefinite use of groundwater. Maharashtra Water Crisis: Drought Looms Over 17 Districts.

According to reports, the maximum drought-affected areas are the talukas located in Jalgaon district, Beed, Ahmednagar and Solapur. Citing the severe drought condition, keeping a livestock has become expensive due to low milk rates and high fodder prices. Apart from this, insufficient rainfall at these places have caused several difficulties for farmers due to the scarcity of water required for crop yield. One of the main reason for reason for drought is no control over the usage of groundwater even after the Ground Water Maharashtra Ground Water Act.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had earlier said that more than 20,000 villages in the state are facing drought-like conditions. He added that the team will soon be dispatched to the villages to oversee the drought-affected areas and then the help will be announced. Fadnavis further added that drought assessments have started in some villages and calculations of crop yield losses is being calculated.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 23, 2018 02:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).