Watch | Maharashtra drought crisis: Farmer breaks down before Fadnavis, CM assures support

Mumbai: As a farmer broke down in the drought-hit Marathwada region’s Latur district, a visibly-shaken Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis embraced him and hugged.

Fadnavis, popularly known as Deva Bhau, commenced his tour to drought-affected areas on Wednesday.

The incident took place in Nilanga when Fadnavis was touring the Latur district.

Fadnavis also visited the Dharashiv district of Marathwada and Solapur in Western Maharashtra.

The emotional moment speaks volumes about the emerging situation due to deficit rainfall in large parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and some areas of Western Maharashtra.

दुष्काळसदृश परिस्थितीत शेतकऱ्यांच्या बांधावर पोहोचून त्यांच्या व्यथा समजून घेतल्या. संकटाच्या काळात सरकार ठामपणे त्यांच्या पाठीशी आहे, हा विश्वास दिला. #Maharashtra #FarmerWelfare pic.twitter.com/6qIguFr3d8

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) September 23, 2026

"The situation is very serious. Super El Niño has created a very serious situation. We are currently standing in a soybean field, and the soybean crop has been completely destroyed. There will be no production from it. Along with this, there will also be a shortage of drinking water,” Fadnavis said, assuring the government's support.

When Fadnavis visited fields with withered soybean crops and dried-up wells and met distressed farmers in Jau village, farmer Noor Baba Miya Patel broke down and narrated his woes to the Chief Minister.

“This drought is more severe than the 1972 drought, when there was a shortage of food but not water. This time, we are facing shortages of both. It has been 52 days since it last rained,” a farmer in his late 70s told Fadnavis with tears in his eyes.

The Chief Minister said that Latur and Dharashiv are facing the most severe conditions, having received only around 50% of the normal rainfall. “Last year, rainfall in these areas was 60–65% of normal. Soybean crops have withered and farmers have suffered massive losses. We are going to face a serious shortage of drinking water and fodder,” he said.