-Goverance Now
A little stress on water management, cropping methods, research programmes and policies can help coping with droughts
Marathwada of Maharashtra comprising eight districts (Aurangabad, Jalna, Parbhani, Nanded, Latur, Beed, Osmanabad and Hingoli) is traditionally a drought-prone region. The situation has worsened with rainfall deficiency for three consecutive years. Rainfall deficit for 2014 was 45 percent, this was followed by a deficit of more than 50 percent in many districts till the end of August 2015. The region has struggled with frequent droughts for the past 50 years (see table 1). Even a moderate rainfall deficiency is impacting agricultural output significantly due to increased water demand.
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