Team Blitz India
PUNE: Large areas of the country are not only in the grip of increasingly dry conditions but around 125 districts are also facing drought, shows latest data on the Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) by IMD, Pune.
Maharashtra’s six districts: Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Pune, Nashik, and Kolhapur are also among the districts facing water stress. The SPEI values from March to April factor in temperature impact on water demand. The values show a worrying spread of drought conditions across 125 districts, a 28 per cent increase from the number of such districts (98) at the beginning of March this year.
The analysis shows that the 125 districts are spread across 23 states and Union Territories in the country. This also marks a significant increase from 2023, when only 33 districts faced moderate to extreme dryness over a similar period.
Some of the worst-affected states are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Tamil Nadu, where several districts are witnessing dry to extremely dry conditions.
The SPEI map also highlights large areas of central, western and southern India covered in shades of yellow, red and orange (indicative of severity of dryness). These areas are experiencing heightened evapotranspiration rates which refers to the combined process of evaporation from Earth’s surface and transpiration from plants. Essentially, it’s the loss of water to the atmosphere from both these sources. Warmer temperatures increase the rate of evaporation from soil, water bodies and plant surfaces.
Experts warn that the intensifying dry spell could have severe impact on agriculture, water resources and rural livelihoods across these regions if the situation persists or worsens in the coming months leading up to the rainy season. Though summers are usually not considered as rain-bearing months, IMD data shows that nearly 21 per cent districts are deficient, and 19 per cent are largely deficient in pre-monsoon rainfall since March 1 so far. The allIndia deficiency is 18 per cent.
