# Drying reservoirs, low winter crop yield, and a simmering water crisis

> Chennai is facing a severe water shortage with a 54% rainfall deficit and reservoirs at very low levels, and about 300 Indian districts have been declared drought-hit. Maharashtra's Marathwada region has deployed 1,500 water tankers as dams dry up, and winter crop yields are reported to be low.

- Date: 2019-01-21 · published 2019-01-21T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: weather · region India · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/61070-drying-reservoirs-low-winter-crop-yield-and-a-simmering-water-crisis
- Commodities: [Rough Rice](https://feedsoft.ai/c/RICE.md)

## Why it matters

Drought-hit winter crops and dry reservoirs reduce Indian rice and pulse output and raise the risk of tighter domestic supply, which could support Indian and world rice prices.

## Read by commodity

- RICE: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| RICE | 2023-08-18 | [Exclusive: India faces record low August rains, threatening summer crops \| Reuters](https://feedsoft.ai/events/34475-exclusive-india-faces-record-low-august-rains-threatening-summer-crops-reuters.md) | +1.2% | +4.4% |
| RICE | 2018-09-24 | [Monsoon rainfall drops further, endangering summer crops](https://feedsoft.ai/events/62999-monsoon-rainfall-drops-further-endangering-summer-crops.md) | -1.0% | +11.7% |
| RICE | 2026-04-09 | [Rising Odds of Strong El Niño Point to Global Weather and Crop Impacts - Bloomberg](https://feedsoft.ai/events/19631-rising-odds-of-strong-el-nino-point-to-global-weather-and-crop-impacts-bloomberg.md) | -1.4% | +6.9% |
| RICE | 2019-02-18 | [Big dry cuts summer crop prospects: ABARES - Grain Central](https://feedsoft.ai/events/60573-big-dry-cuts-summer-crop-prospects-abares-grain-central.md) | +1.1% | +7.2% |
| RICE | 2026-06-16 | [Crop Monitor Special Report: El Niño 2026-2027: Anticipated Climate and Agricultural Yield Impacts, June 16, 2026 - World \| ReliefWeb](https://feedsoft.ai/events/18724-crop-monitor-special-report-el-nino-2026-2027-anticipated-climate-and.md) | +9.2% | +18.0% |

## Sources

- downtoearth.org.in: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/agriculture/drying-reservoirs-low-winter-crop-yield-and-a-simmering-water-crisis-62907

---
Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.