MUMBAI: A central government team on Saturday visited drought-affected areas in Maharashtra to assess crop losses, with its report expected to be submitted within the next seven days.
The team visited drought-hit villages in three talukas and interacted with farmers to assess crop losses amid a severe rainfall deficit across the state.
The state government has declared drought in 265 talukas this year following inadequate rainfall. Against this backdrop, central teams have been visiting affected regions across Maharashtra to assess agricultural damage and determine the extent of assistance required. Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested that 10 central teams be sent to assess the damage caused by the rainfall deficit.
The central team's inspection in Solapur district began at Andhalgaon village in Mangalvedha taluka. It subsequently visited Lendve Chincholi and Gonevadi before proceeding to Waki Gherdi in Sangola taluka, where the visit concluded.
The relatively short duration of the inspection raised questions about the extent of the field assessment. However, the team indicated that it would submit its damage assessment report without delay.
Maharashtra Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare said the central team's report was expected within seven days, significantly earlier than the period of up to a month generally associated with such assessments under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) framework.
He said the assessment process was being expedited in view of the severity of the drought, enabling the government to decide on relief measures at the earliest.
Meanwhile, crop damage assessments, commonly known as panchnamas, are under way across affected parts of Maharashtra. The exercise covers individual farmers and different crops to establish the extent of agricultural losses.
Mandhare said the assessments were being conducted comprehensively, including for crops such as brinjal. The administration has also received demands for relief from areas where sowing was completed but crops were subsequently damaged, as well as from regions where farmers could not sow their fields because of inadequate rainfall.
“The nature and extent of losses vary across regions, making detailed assessments essential for determining the appropriate relief measures. Demands have been received from different parts of the state, and these will be considered by the central team,” the official said.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will also convene a meeting to review relief work in drought-affected regions. The official said the state government would take further decisions on drought relief after examining the assessment findings and the requirements of affected farmers.
Maharashtra received 804.4 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 30, against a seasonal average of 994.5 mm, representing a shortfall of approximately 19 per cent. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced the withdrawal of the south-west monsoon from Maharashtra on October 3, marking the earliest withdrawal in four years.
The IMD reported that 21 districts recorded deficient rainfall during the season. These included Nagpur, Chandrapur, Hingoli, Beed and Dharashiv. Mumbai's city and suburban districts, Thane, Pune, Raigad and Ratnagiri received rainfall within the normal range, while Nashik and Palghar recorded surplus rainfall.