Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Aug 27: Karnataka has declared 101 taluks drought-hit in the first phase as the state battles a severe monsoon rainfall deficit, with falling reservoir levels, depleted groundwater and growing concerns over drinking water and fodder availability, deputy chief minister and revenue minister Dr G Parameshwara said on Thursday.
Parameshwara said another 32 taluks that met the initial eligibility criteria are under review, and the situation in the declared taluks will be reassessed every 15 days. Additional taluks will be declared drought-hit if they meet the prescribed criteria.
Most parts of the state have received below-normal rainfall, resulting in a significant impact on crop sowing, soil moisture, reservoir storage and groundwater levels. Karnataka received 465 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 26, against the normal 666 mm, marking a 30% deficit. Rainfall deficiency has been recorded across all 190 taluks, while 13 taluks have reported a severe shortfall.
In the first phase, 89 taluks have been classified as severely drought-hit, while 12 have been categorised as moderately drought-hit, taking the total number of drought-hit taluks to 101.
Parameshwara said the declaration was based on the parameters prescribed under the Centre's Drought Manual, 2020. Under Trigger-1, a taluk becomes eligible for assessment when it experiences a dry spell of three or more consecutive weeks. Trigger-2 takes into account factors including the extent of sowing, crop condition, soil moisture, groundwater levels and water availability in tanks and reservoirs.
“We carried out the assessment and ground-truthing. 134 taluks qualified under Trigger-1. Following ground-truthing, 101 taluks have currently qualified to be declared drought-affected. The remaining 32 taluks that qualified under Trigger-1 are under review,” Parameshwara said.
The rainfall deficit has been particularly pronounced across the state, with South Interior Karnataka recording a 41% shortfall, followed by Malnad at 35%, North Interior Karnataka at 31% and Coastal Karnataka at 24%.
Reservoir inflows plunge; groundwater falls
The rainfall shortage has severely affected inflows into the state's major reservoirs, while groundwater levels have also declined sharply. The government has expressed concern over drinking water availability in rural areas.
The state currently has around 151 lac tonnes of fodder, enough for only about 33 weeks. The situation is particularly worrying in 49 taluks, where fodder stocks are expected to last for less than 20 weeks.
Parameshwara said the government was taking measures to ensure there was no shortage of drinking water or fodder and that funds had been made available for drought management. The state has allocated Rs 635 crore at various stages for drought relief and precautionary measures.
Of this, Rs 117 crore has been released to deputy commissioners for drinking water requirements, while Rs 189 crore has been allocated for drinking water needs in Assembly constituencies outside Bengaluru. Another Rs 329 crore has been kept with deputy commissioners for drought-related expenditure following the formal declaration. The government has also released Rs 25 crore for fodder and seed kits.
MGNREGA work stepped up to curb migration
The government has taken note of people from drought-hit rural areas migrating to cities in search of employment. To discourage the exodus, authorities have been directed to provide more employment under the MGNREGA scheme.
Around 66.73 lakh person-days of employment were generated between July and August 24, Parameshwara said.
Sowing takes a hit
Parameshwara said sowing had reached only 60 lakh hectares against a target of 84.10 lakh hectares, or around 71% of the targeted area. Of the state's 240 taluks, sowing was below 75% in 104 taluks, while 42 taluks had recorded sowing below 25%.
According to the Moisture Adequacy Index as of August 26, 178 taluks are facing soil-moisture stress, with 86 experiencing severe deficiency and 92 facing moderate deficiency, affecting crop growth.
Parameshwara also pointed to limitations in the existing drought assessment criteria, saying a brief spell of rain could make a taluk ineligible under Trigger-1 even when crops fail to grow.
“Such problems exist in the present criteria. We have repeatedly urged the Union Government to revise them as was done earlier but the Centre has not addressed the issue. Therefore, we are compelled to declare drought in phases,” the Deputy Chief Minister said.
Karnataka seeks central assistance
The state is due to receive Rs 1,239 crore from the Centre under SDRF assistance, while the government is also seeking Rs 450 crore as the first instalment, Parameshwara said. A memorandum seeking financial assistance will be submitted to the Centre by the end of August.
Parameshwara said the government would continue monitoring the situation and review drought conditions every 15 days. He also assured people in taluks not included in the first list that there was no need for apprehension, as additional areas would be declared drought-hit if they met the required criteria.