Central Indian district devastated by drought - in pictures

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  People wait in the searing heat for hours, sometimes the entire day, to fill up their containers. Police guard some of the tanks to prevent fights. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  The Indian government says about 330 million people in 10 states are affected by the drought, which has been blamed on two consecutive years of poor monsoon rainfall. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Water is also being supplied to Latur by rail, with two 50-wagon trains arriving last week. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  After completing the 350-kilometre journey from Miraj, the 50-wagon water train arrives at Latur with much-needed drinking water. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Farmer Balasahab Kale, 60, from Sai, outside of the town of Latur, with his buffalo. The administration has started widening and deepening the Sai river for water harvesting. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Citizens collect water from a water tanker in Latur. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  The area is among the worst affected by the drought and some families in Latur have left for other cities. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Kamalbai stands under the dried mango tree from which her husband and farmer Mahakant Mali, 55, hanged himself. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Unable to fetch water because of long queues, Sayed Jafur leaves a water tank in Latur on his motorbike, accompanied by his wife Khatumbi, and his 9-year-old granddaughter, Asha. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  A desperate attempt at drip farming by a drought-affected farmer so that his crop could survive failed as there is no water available even to fill in the water bottles. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Saqueb Osmani, the district disaster management officer at the collector’s office in Latur, is seen in the ‘War Room’ which has been created to tackle distress calls from citizens of Latur. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Farmer Harish Chandra Shinde, 48, left, waits at the clinic of Dr Milind Potdar, a psychiatrist in Latur who counsels distressed farmers. Subhash Sharma for The National

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  Many school children in Latur are spending a better part of their summer holidays in long queues to fetch water. Subhash Sharma for The National

Latur is part of Maharashtra state’s predominantly agricultural Marathwada region, where 273 farmers committed suicide between January and March this year. The area is among the worst affected by the drought and some families in Latur have left for cities such as the state capital Mumbai, nearly 500 kilometres away.