Tracking drought, a Livemint reading list
India is suffering from one of its worst droughts in decades. Here are some of the ground reports by Mint from some of the worst-hit regions
India is suffering from one of its worst droughts in decades, affecting over a quarter of the population. According to the latest figures, a total of 13 Indian states are in the grip of drought resulting from two consecutive years of weak monsoon rainfall. The centre has allotted ₹ 10,300 crore for relief work in the affected states.
Mint has been tracking the drought, with ground reports from some of the worst affected regions.
Cattle deaths and hunger signal looming famine in Bundelkhand
Sayantan Bera travels to Bundelkhand, a region in Uttar Pradesh, and reports about the drought’s effect on cattle that are being abandoned by farmers who can’t afford to feed them.
Beed district in Maharashtra’s Marathwada region has witnessed the maximum number of farmer suicides since 2012. Namita Bhandre meets the widows and children of the farmers.
India’s farms have a far worse scorecard on water use than IPL
Domestic usage accounts for less than 5% of India’s annual water consumption while agriculture’s share is 90%
India is the biggest virtual exporter of water
In 2014-15, India virtually exported 10 trillion litres of water, making it the highest in the world.
Water train and beyond—how Latur is tackling drought
In a report from Latur, Abhiram Ghadyalpatil writes about how citizens, industry representatives and activists are coming together to work on long-term solutions to the water crisis.
Sugar cane vs Marathwada’s drought
The debate on the hydrological, financial, social and even moral cost of growing the water-intensive crop in regions with chronic water shortages has raged since the Marathwada drought first came to light.
In this column, Niranjan Rajadhyaksha writes about the economics of how people are coming together to produce public goods, with recent examples of the drought in Latur and the Chennai floods last year.
It’s not just farmers, Marathwada businesses too roiled by drought
In this report, also from Latur, Ghadyalpatil writes about Marathwada’s several businesses, including automobiles, construction, steel manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, breweries, and distilleries have been affected by the drought in the region.
Also, do join us on 10 May at 3 pm for a Facebook Live session between Swaraj Abhiyan co-founder Yogendra Yadav and Mint columnist Himanshu, who will be discussing the drought and related rural distress issues.
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