# Broken irrigation leaves Palamu farms exposed to another drought 2026-08-06T16:41:37+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Jharkhand’s rainfall this year remains 48% below normal despite heavier-than-expected rain in July, while a strengthening El Niño threatens another failed season. Palamu has faced every one of the state’s ten declared droughts in the past 25 years. Mongabay-India found lift irrigation systems, ponds and canals built over five decades lying broken or unmonitored. One lift scheme served ten villages but stopped working after a damaged pipe went unrepaired. Of 3,624 farm ponds targeted in 2015-16, about 2,500 were built, but officials have no records of how many still function. Soil Conservation Officer Shyam Bind said maintenance failures have undermined the investments. Recent droughts in 2023 and 2024 also drove villagers to migrate for work. ## Coverage - india.mongabay.com Tags: drought, El Nino, Irrigation, Jharkhand, Palamu Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/broken-irrigation-leaves-palamu-farms-exposed-to-another-drought/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/broken-irrigation-leaves-palamu-farms-exposed-to-another-drought/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.