Rain came a day too late for Yavatmal farmer family
A farmer family in Yavatmal district has been devastated by a series of suicides linked to agricultural distress and drought conditions. Nima Dnyaneshwar Malekar, 58, has lost her elder son Nikhil in March 2021, younger son Tapaveen in October 2024, and her husband Dnyaneshwar in July 2026—all by hanging. Her nephew Harish Choudhary attributed the deaths to recurring crop losses, inadequate rainfall, and difficulties securing an electricity connection to operate a borewell on their five-acre cotton farm.
The tragedies reflect the broader agricultural crisis engulfing Maharashtra. Last week, the state declared drought across 265 of its 358 tehsils—approximately three-fourths of the state. Yavatmal, which has been severely affected by water scarcity, witnessed 128 farmer suicides between January and June this year, before the current drought cycle intensified. Nikhil had been struggling for approval of his borewell electricity connection application and faced crop destruction from excess rain in 2021, just a month before his planned marriage.
Nima now lives partially at her brother's home in Kosala village while family and neighbours help maintain her land. The couple had constructed their house this year after receiving funds under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. "I will live for as long as God chooses to keep me," Nima says of her resolve to continue amid persistent agricultural challenges facing farming communities across the drought-prone district.
