The residents of a tiny village in Maharashtra’s Solapur district have struck upon a unique way to protest. Parched of water and distraught at politicians failing to keep promises, the residents of Tulshi village have put up a banner saying ‘Village for sale’. An irrigation project designed to provide water from the Ujani dam network on Bhima river have left Tulshi high and dry. This drought-prone region is one among many in peninsular India facing yet another year of crisis. Research published in 2024 identified 91 districts of the country as having a very high risk of drought under changed climatic conditions, whereas 188 were categorised as high-risk ones. In this year of a super El Niño, governments need to prioritise irrigation projects in these areas on an urgent basis.
