Drought in India

DROUGHT IN INDIA

In the summer of 2016, parts of India experienced record drought as a result of consecutive failed monsoons.

Global temperature records were broken each month in 2016 and India itself recorded its highest temperature of 51C. In conjunction with El Nino effects, this caused extreme environmental stresses in large parts of the country.

Sean Gallagher travelled to the city of Latur, in the state of Maharashtra, identified as the country’s worst affected area where up to 15,000 villages were believed to be without water.

The images focus on how community’s lives were being affected by the drought, documenting the long and dangerous journeys people are taking to find water, the stresses placed on farmers and the physical environmental stresses on the region.

As global temperatures continue to rise, the record drought of 2016 is predicted to be a recurring event in a country that is struggling to adapt to a warming world.

Browse more images from this story