Drought Cripples Dairy Farmers in Maharashtra in ‘Off the Charts’ Weather Year By Rina Mukherji Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -

Drought Cripples Dairy Farmers in Maharashtra in ‘Off the Charts’ Weather Year By Rina Mukherji For farmers in the Solapur district in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, extreme weather isn't a distant reality but a lived experience. They are the people Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary General, refers to when she comments that 'behind the headlines and the statistics in this report are people who suffered the loss of loved ones, threats to their health and safety, flooded homes, failed harvests, empty shelves, lack of water and choking air. PUNE, India & ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov 9 2026 (IPS) - Dairy farmer Sagar Pawar has to buy water and fodder at inflated rates to feed his brood of two buffaloes, three Guernsey cows and a calf. He lives in the Solapur district, which is already drought-prone, but now has to deal with the impacts of a strong El Niño as well. Pawar was interviewed in the days leading up to the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31), which opened today in Antalya, Türkiye. https://www.ipsnews.net/2026/11/drought-cripples-dairy-farmers-in-maharashtra-in-off-the-charts-weather-year/?utm_source=email_marketing&utm_admin=146128&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Africa_Cannot_Burn_Its_Way_Out_of_Its_Waste_Crisis_Without_Action_Climate_Change_Could_Push_Women_Fu Copyright © 2026 IPS-Inter Press Service. All rights reserved. -