Landsat imagery reveals drying reservoirs in Central India

Pratik Yadav
Fri, 15 Apr 2016 00:00:00 -0400

More than a third of India is currently facing drought after two years of deficient monsoon rainfall. One of the hardest hit areas is the central Indian state of Maharashtra, whose agricultural output contributes over $23 billion to the country’s economy.

Satellite images of reservoirs and cropland in the affected areas show sharp declines in water levels in the state over the last year.

Comparison of water levels at Maharashtra’s third-largest reservoir on 1st April 2015 and 3rd April 2016

India’s water levels are cyclical, with the monsoon season from June to September providing most of the water for agriculture. The drought is concerning because it’s a year-over-year decline and pessimism about next year’s rain causes farmers to plant fewer seeds.

The above scenes are from the near infrared sensor of NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite which captures the changing face of the earth every day. The latest imagery is available within a few hours of capture and can be accessed publicly from Landsat on AWS or from the Mapbox Landsat live explorer.