Too much water in drought-prone Vidarbha

Reports are coming in of extensive flooding in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra’s Vidarbha region where farmer suicides have been rampant.

“I was there last week and agricultural communities were fearing drought. Now there is flooding. Crops have been destroyed but this time by too much rather than too little water,” says Kamini Ranjit Kapadia of ActionAid.

Field workers report that the water level is still rising. ActionAid partner organisation Shughda has opened shelters in schools and is working with local people to move the most vulnerable to safe areas. Aid efforts are being hampered as houses of community workers have also been damaged.