Western Rajasthan recorded a 30% monsoon rainfall deficit in 2026, with Jaisalmer receiving 50% less rain than normal.
Farmers in Jaisalmer have been unable to sow crops because of insufficient rainfall and soil moisture, affecting both agriculture and livestock.
Fodder prices have more than doubled, forcing livestock owners to sell sheep and goats at reduced prices to meet rising costs.
Of Rajasthan's 693 dams, 216 are completely empty, while reservoirs in the Jodhpur Water Resources Zone hold just 15.72% of their total capacity.
Despite worsening conditions, Rajasthan has yet to declare a drought, prompting demands from opposition parties.
Chatar Singh Jam, a farmer in Jaisalmer, owns approximately 100 bighas of land. Every year, during the kharif season, he grows cluster beans, moth beans, millet and kacharia in his fields. These crops provide his family's livelihood, while the produce also serves as fodder for his livestock.
But this year, the situation is different. He waited for rain throughout the monsoon season but could not sow his crops.
“This year, there hasn’t been enough rain to sow the crops. All the fields are empty. I thought I would sow rabi crops, but the fields are so dry that I haven't been able to plant anything yet. We don't even have the soil moisture needed for rabi crops,” Jam says.
Khadin is a traditional water conservation system in western Rajasthan in which rainwater is collected in fields to retain soil moisture. This moisture is then used to grow rabi crops. However, when rainfall is insufficient, even this traditional system fails to provide relief to farmers.
This is the situation in Jaisalmer this year. The kharif crop failed, and the lack of soil moisture has made sowing rabi crops difficult.
The crisis is not limited to crops. In western Rajasthan, agriculture and animal husbandry are closely linked. Millet, moth beans and other crops grown in the fields also provide fodder for livestock. This year's crop failure has reduced fodder availability, dealing livestock farmers a double blow.
Jam says fodder prices have risen from Rs 6-7 per kg to Rs 15-16 per kg. Even at these prices, finding enough fodder is difficult. Livestock owners are therefore being forced to sell their animals at low prices rather than let them starve.
He estimates that livestock farmers have sold about 20 per cent of their sheep and goats so far. Animals that previously fetched Rs 8,000-10,000 are now being sold for Rs 4,000-5,000. Herders are using the money to buy expensive fodder.
He fears that if conditions do not improve, livestock farmers could sell about 60 per cent of their animals by the time the next monsoon arrives in July 2027. This is his estimate based on local conditions, not an official statewide figure.
Animal husbandry is a key pillar of the rural economy and livelihoods in western Rajasthan. In the state's arid and semi-arid regions, it is not merely a supplementary activity to agriculture but a significant source of income. A lack of rainfall, declining crop production and rising fodder prices threaten this entire system.
According to the Rajasthan government's Economic Survey 2023-24, animal husbandry plays a significant role in the state's arid and semi-arid regions.
The 20th Livestock Census, conducted in 2019 by the Rajasthan government's Animal Husbandry Department, recorded a total of 56.8 million livestock in the state.
Barmer, in western Rajasthan, had the largest livestock population, with approximately 5.09 million animals, including 2.947 million goats, 1.013 million sheep and 905,000 cows.
Jaisalmer had approximately 1.104 million goats and 837,000 sheep, while Jodhpur recorded approximately 1.641 million goats and 619,000 sheep.
These figures are from the 2019 livestock census and do not reflect current animal populations. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the importance of animal husbandry as a source of livelihood in western Rajasthan.
The impact of fodder and water shortages will therefore extend beyond livestock to the incomes of families who depend on selling milk, wool and animals.
Selling livestock may help pastoralists cover immediate fodder costs, but doing so at low prices will also affect their future earnings. If families sell a significant proportion of their animals, rebuilding their herds could be difficult even if conditions improve after the next monsoon.
According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) report dated September 30, 2026, Rajasthan received 340.2 millimetres (mm) of rainfall during the monsoon season, between June 1 and September 30, against a normal of 435.6 mm.
The state therefore recorded a rainfall deficit of 95.4 mm, or 22 per cent.
The difference between eastern and western Rajasthan was significant. Eastern Rajasthan received 517.8mm of rainfall against a normal of 626.6mm, a deficit of 17 per cent. Western Rajasthan, by contrast, received just 198.8mm against a normal of 283.6mm, recording a deficit of 30 per cent.
Rainfall deficits also varied considerably between districts. Jalore recorded the largest deficit, receiving 173.4mm against a normal of 417.8mm, or 59 per cent less rainfall than usual. Pali received 226.1mm against a normal of 491.6mm, a deficit of 54 per cent.
Jaisalmer received just 89.1mm against a normal of 176.9mm, recording a deficit of 50 per cent. Hanumangarh received 150.4mm, which was 41 per cent below its normal rainfall of 253.6mm. Jodhpur also recorded a deficit of 33 per cent.
The figures show that western Rajasthan experienced a much greater monsoon rainfall deficit than the state average. Jaisalmer received half its normal rainfall, while the deficits were even more severe in Jalore and Pali.
However, a rainfall deficit alone does not constitute an official drought declaration for an entire district. Such a declaration requires an assessment of crop sowing, soil moisture, water availability and other local conditions.
In Jaisalmer, however, farmers' inability to sow crops, the lack of soil moisture and rising fodder prices indicate that low rainfall is already affecting both agriculture and animal husbandry.
After scanty rainfall during the monsoon, Rajasthan’s dry regions received little relief in October.
According to the IMD’s district rainfall report up to October 23, 2026, Rajasthan received just 4.6 mm of rainfall between October 1 and 23, against a normal of 10.2 mm.
This represents a deficit of 55 per cent.
Eastern Rajasthan received 6.9 mm, which was 51 per cent below the normal of 14 mm. The situation was worse in western Rajasthan, where rainfall totalled just 2.7 mm against a normal of 7.1 mm, a deficit of 61 per cent.
District-level figures illustrate the severity of the shortfall. Barmer, Jalore, Nagaur and Pali recorded no rainfall between October 1 and 23. Their normal rainfall for this period is 8.2 mm, 10.2 mm, 7.3 mm and 11.4 mm, respectively.
Jodhpur received just 0.3 mm against a normal of 5.1 mm, while Jaisalmer recorded 0.3 mm against a normal of 4.9 mm. This means Jaisalmer received 94 per cent less rainfall than normal during October, while Jodhpur recorded a deficit of 95 per cent.
Sri Ganganagar, by contrast, received 14.8 mm, or 238 per cent more than its normal rainfall of 4.3 mm. Hanumangarh also received 37 per cent more rainfall than normal.
These figures show that the rainfall deficit was not uniform across western Rajasthan. However, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Pali and Barmer received almost no rainfall during October.
Alongside the rainfall deficit, declining water storage is raising concerns across Rajasthan.
According to the Rajasthan Water Resources Department, 216 of the state's 693 large and small dams are completely empty, while 378 are partially filled. Only 99 dams are full.
This means approximately 31 per cent of the state's dams are empty, 55 per cent are partially filled and the remaining 14 per cent are full.
Of the 286 dams with a capacity exceeding 4.25 million cubic metres, 51 are completely empty and 186 are partially filled.
Among the 407 dams with a capacity below 4.25 million cubic metres, 165 are empty and 192 are partially filled.
The figures indicate that water storage is particularly limited in smaller dams.
The total storage capacity of Rajasthan's dams is 13,029 million cubic metres.
As of October 8, 2026, they held 8,052.44 million cubic metres of water, equivalent to 61.80 per cent of their total capacity.
On the same date last year, storage stood at 90.38 per cent of capacity, indicating a substantial decline in water availability over the past year.
On June 15, 2026, dams held 44.46 per cent of their total capacity. This increased to 61.80 per cent after the monsoon, but remained significantly below the level recorded a year earlier.
Despite the increase during the monsoon, water availability remains limited in many dams.
The situation is particularly concerning for smaller dams. The 407 dams with a capacity below 4.25 million cubic metres held just 33.25 per cent of their combined storage capacity.
Water storage in western Rajasthan is considerably lower than the state average.
The 117 dams in the Jodhpur Water Resources Zone have a combined storage capacity of 991.65 million cubic metres.
According to the Water Resources Department's report, these dams held just 155.89 million cubic metres of water, equivalent to 15.72 per cent of their total capacity.
During the same period last year, storage stood at 80.25 per cent of capacity.
This represents a sharp decline within a year.
With western Rajasthan already facing a rainfall deficit, difficulties in sowing crops and rising fodder prices, low reservoir levels could further aggravate the crisis.
Despite worsening conditions, the Rajasthan government has not declared a drought.
With panchayat elections under way across the state, the issue has become part of the election debate.
Opposition parties are demanding that Rajasthan declare a drought, as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have done.