Drought declared in three-quarters of India's richest state

MUMBAI: Drought has hit three-quarters of India’s richest state of Maharashtra, the government said on Saturday, after prolonged low rainfall in the region home to the megacity of Mumbai.

The declaration in Maharashtra came after the national weather department forecast India would end its annual monsoon season with a rainfall deficit, threatening farmers’ livelihoods.

A stronger-than-usual El Nino climate phenomenon, which typically brings drier conditions to South Asia, has also led to abnormal rain patterns, the weather department has said.

The government of Maharashtra, a huge western state whose capital Mumbai is India’s financial and commercial centre, said drought was present across 74 percent of the territory.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the administration stood “firmly behind our farmer brethren” during the crisis.

The government will assess crop damage and “ensure that farmers, farm labourers and rural families receive the necessary assistance in a timely manner”, his office said.

Hundreds of millions of people in India depend on the June-to-September monsoon to bring vital rains that sustain agriculture and industry.

Maharashtra has a population of 130 million and is a major agricultural state that produces cotton, soybeans, sugarcane and pulses.

Many farmers depend on rain for irrigation and are highly vulnerable to crop failures, which can push whole families into financial crisis.

The impact of low rainfall is also being felt in southern India, where Karnataka state has also announced aid for farmers in drought-hit areas.

El Nino is a naturally occurring climate pattern associated with warmer ocean temperatures in the Pacific that can change wind and rainfall patterns around the world.

Scientists say human-caused climate change can amplify its effects by making more energy and moisture available to fuel extreme weather.