For years, Marathwada suffered from drought. Now, floods have swept away crops and livelihoods

The parched region of Marathwada, where once potable water had to be supplied via train, is now reeling under floods. In the historically dry region, excessive water is taking away lives and livelihoods.

Between the 2012-’13 and 2019, the Marathwada region faced four droughts. Rainfall in these years was about 50%-70% of the average. There have been long-term socio-economic fallouts due to these dry spells.

However, the region buckled under torrential rains this year, recording more than 128% of its normal rainfall for June to September. Every river and canal, including patches historically known to be dry, have flooded.

The rainfall till September 25 was 722.5 mm, higher than the usual average for this period which is 679 mm. What made it worse was the rain pattern: sudden, intense and in short bursts instead of falling steadily. This has caused more damage to the crops instead of benefitting them.

“This year, at the beginning of June, a long-term forecast had predicted that Vidarbha and Marathwada would receive above-average rainfall. Although June initially received less rain, Marathwada received more than 743 mm of rainfall between August and September 22,” said professor SD Sanap, Pune-based scientist at India Meteorological Department.Read more