Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has warned that the state’s drought crisis could become worse than the Covid-19 pandemic, with shortages of water and fodder expected as the situation progresses. He said the list of 265 drought-hit talukas is likely to expand and that both kharif and rabi crops could be affected.
Bawankule, who chairs the 11-member cabinet sub-committee on drought, issued the warning while addressing party workers in Nagpur on Monday. He asked them to keep election campaigns and public celebrations low-key for the next eight months, citing the seriousness of the drought situation across Maharashtra.
“As drought progresses, a bigger crisis will come upon Maharashtra. In fact, the crisis will be bigger than the pandemic. There will be a shortage of water and fodder. You will see kharif and rabi wrecked. All crops will take a hit,” Bawankule said, according to the report.
The minister was speaking to workers gathered to campaign for BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale in the graduate constituency poll. He said the election had come at a time when several talukas were already included on the drought-hit list and cautioned that the situation was not expected to improve.
Bawankule’s warning points to pressure across both rural production systems and the wider public administration responsible for drought response. A shortage of water and fodder can affect farming households, livestock and local economies, while damage to both crop seasons would extend the effects beyond a single harvest period. The minister did not provide a revised count of affected talukas, rainfall figures, crop-loss estimates or details of additional relief measures in the statement reported by the Times of India.
He also referred to the relief work carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party during the Covid-19 pandemic and said similar service would be required during the drought crisis. “We will have to replicate the same service in the drought crisis,” he said.
The appeal for restrained public activity included a request to avoid routine bouquet and garland ceremonies, felicitations and birthday celebrations. Bawankule said public conduct should reflect the hardship faced by residents, particularly farmers. “While a farmer is dying by suicide, we are standing with coconuts and bouquets in our hands, honouring each other. This is not right,” he said.
The next official steps will depend on the drought sub-committee’s assessment and any expansion of the affected-taluka list. The minister’s remarks did not specify a deadline for that review or announce a new state-wide water, fodder or crop-relief package.
