India's Maharashtra orders water cuts as El Niño raises drought fears
Maharashtra, the Indian state that is home to Mumbai, ordered every city, town and village to cut water supply by at least 10% starting Oct. 16 after a weak monsoon. Officials are saving drinking water through August 2027 because El Niño could keep things dry into next year. Drought has been declared in 265 local districts.
One of India's biggest states is rationing water months before the dry season peaks. Maharashtra has told all municipal corporations, towns and village councils to cut water supply by at least 10% from Oct. 16, The Indian Express reported. The state cited low reservoir levels, drought-like conditions and the risk that El Niño keeps the water stress going into next year.
Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan said his department drew up a dam-by-dam plan through Aug. 31, 2027. Drinking water comes first. "Every department and citizen must use every drop of water carefully to avoid a water crisis in the coming year," he said.
The plan sets a strict order. After drinking water come livestock and fodder. Then comes irrigation, with priority for winter food grains and fodder crops. Orchards and other year-round crops get water only if any is left. Each reservoir must keep a 10% emergency reserve.
Factories must reuse or recycle at least 30% of the water they use. Cities must run sewage plants at full capacity and use treated wastewater, not fresh water, for gardens, construction and washing. Local bodies must hunt down leaks.
The state is also going after water theft. Joint teams will patrol dams, rivers and canals, and illegal pumps will be seized, The Economic Times reported. About two-thirds of Maharashtra is facing drought-like conditions, and drought has been declared in 265 talukas, or local districts, according to The Indian Express.
El Niño is a warming of the Pacific Ocean that shifts weather around the world. In India, it is often linked to weaker monsoon rains. The Economic Times said El Niño this year contributed to a deficient monsoon in parts of the state.
The same pattern is felt elsewhere in Asia. In Singapore, the weather service says a strong El Niño may delay the end of the dry, hazy season until late October or early November, The Straits Times reported.
What we know: A 10% minimum water cut starts Oct. 16 across Maharashtra, with drinking water reserved through August 2027.
What we don't: Whether next year's monsoon will refill the reservoirs.
Where outlets agree The Indian Express and The Economic Times both report a minimum 10% water cut from Oct. 16, with drinking water reserved through Aug. 31, 2027.
Where they differ Officials blame both a weak monsoon and the chance El Niño drags dryness into next year, but how much of this year's shortfall El Niño caused is not pinned down.