New Delhi: A weakening monsoon has triggered a looming drought crisis across several parts of India, with September 2026 officially emerging as the driest September in at least five years.
According to recent meteorological data and the India Drought Monitor, the severe lack of rainfall is rapidly depleting soil moisture and threatening crucial crop cycles across multiple states. A comparative analysis of weekly drought maps from 2022 to 2026 reveals that the extent of drought-stressed areas this September is significantly larger than any of the previous four years.
Maharashtra remains the most severely affected state. Expressing grave concern over the situation, Maharashtra’s Cooperation Minister, Baba Saheb Patil, warned that the state could face a “100 percent drought situation” by the end of September. He described the current crisis as the most severe drought he has witnessed in his lifetime. The prolonged dry spell has already inflicted massive damage on major cash crops, including soybean, cotton, and sugarcane.
A comparison of cumulative rainfall data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) with drought tracking maps presents a bleak picture. The districts recording the highest rainfall deficits align closely with the areas experiencing the most intense drought conditions. Many of these districts have already been categorised under moderate, severe, or extreme drought levels.
Beyond Maharashtra, large swathes of Central India, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, and pockets of eastern and north-eastern India are exhibiting prominent signs of drought. While certain isolated regions of the country have recorded normal or even above-normal rainfall, the distribution of the monsoon has been highly erratic, leaving vast agricultural belts parched.
With September drawing to a close, the footprint of the drought-affected regions continues to expand. The coming weeks will be critical for farming communities in these stressed areas, as agronomists warn that without immediate irrigation support, rain-fed crops face complete failure.