Drought to be verified on the ground in Trimbakeshwar, Chandwad and Niphad talukas

Nashik: Ten talukas of the district have already been declared drought-hit, and now the severity of drought will be verified on the ground ("ground truthing") in three more, Trimbakeshwar, Chandwad and Niphad, giving a more objective picture of conditions there.

Considering the kharif 2026 rainfall deficit and other factors, the state government has approved ground truthing in 18 more talukas, and the relief and rehabilitation department has issued a government resolution. Earlier, under a September 25 decision, drought was declared in 265 talukas on the "trigger-1" criteria and 12 relief measures and concessions were applied.

That list included ten of the district's talukas: Sinnar, Igatpuri, Nandgaon, Yeola, Kalwan, Malegaon, Deola, Satana, Surgana and Peth. The new verification could change how drought in the district is assessed.

Nashik and Dindori talukas are not among the new 18. Given the spread of the drought and the rainfall deficit in the district, attention is now on whether these two will also be reviewed.

Source: Pudhari