Bengaluru, Aug 27 (IANS) The Karnataka government has decided to declare 101 taluks as drought-hit, while 32 other taluks that have qualified under the first drought trigger are being reassessed, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister, G. Parameshwara, said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference at Vidhana Soudha, Parameshwara said the state was facing an unprecedented drought-like situation this year and that the government was spending Rs 635 crore on drought management to ensure that people and livestock do not face difficulties.
“We do not have any shortage of funds,” Parameshwara said.
He said Karnataka should have received 666 mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 26, but had received only 465 mm, resulting in a 30 per cent rainfall deficit.
As many as 29 districts and 190 taluks are currently experiencing deficient to large-deficient rainfall, while 12 taluks are facing a severe rainfall deficit.
As of August 26, as many as 134 taluks had experienced a dry spell of more than three consecutive weeks without rainfall, making them eligible for assessment under Trigger-1 of the Centre’s Drought Manual-2020.
Parameshwara said the government had conducted ground-truthing based on the prescribed drought assessment parameters. Following the assessment, 101 taluks have been found eligible to be declared drought-hit.
The remaining 32 taluks, which have qualified under Trigger-1, are being reassessed, he said.
Once the 101 taluks are declared drought-hit, the situation will be reviewed every 15 days. Ground-truthing has also been carried out at the hobli level, and the data is being analysed, he said.
Explaining the drought criteria, Parameshwara said Trigger-1 covers dry spells of three or more consecutive weeks, while Trigger-2 takes into account factors such as sowing levels, crop conditions, soil moisture, groundwater levels and water availability in tanks and reservoirs.
He said certain limitations in the existing drought assessment criteria had created difficulties in declaring some areas drought-hit. The state government has repeatedly urged the Centre to modify the norms, but the issue has not been addressed, he alleged.
Parameshwara said only 71 per cent of the targeted area had been covered under sowing as of August 21.
Against the targeted 84.10 lakh hectares, sowing had taken place in 60 lakh hectares. Of the state’s 240 taluks, 104 had recorded less than 75 per cent sowing, while 42 taluks had recorded less than 25 per cent.
Horticultural crops have also been affected. Against the targeted 4.36 lakh hectares, sowing had been completed in only 3.04 lakh hectares, or 69 per cent, as of August 25.
Even crops that have been sown are not showing the expected growth due to inadequate rainfall. Farmers have been advised to cultivate short-duration crop varieties suited to low-rainfall conditions, and seeds have been distributed accordingly, he said.
The rainfall shortage has also led to a sharp decline in soil moisture. According to the Moisture Adequacy Index (MAI) as of August 26, as many as 178 taluks, or 74 per cent of the state, was facing severe soil moisture deficiency.
Of these, 86 taluks were facing very severe moisture deficiency, while 92 were experiencing moderate deficiency. This has adversely affected the initial growth of crops, Parameshwara said.
Groundwater levels have declined in 132 taluks compared with the average of the previous decade, raising concerns that the situation could worsen in the coming months.
The government is implementing programmes aimed at groundwater development and conservation, he said, urging people to recognise the seriousness of the situation and use groundwater judiciously.
The state had stored 815.70 TMC of water during the corresponding period last year. As of August 26 this year, the storage stood at only 684.09 TMC.
According to data available as of August 22, drinking water is being supplied through 149 tankers to 758 villages across the state. The government has also hired 714 private borewells to meet the demand.
In urban areas, 48 tankers are supplying water to 114 wards under 18 local bodies. Another 18 private borewells have been hired in urban areas.
The government has estimated that drinking water shortages could emerge in 2,059 gram panchayats during the coming summer if the situation worsens and has made preparations accordingly, Parameshwara said.
The state currently has around 151 lakh tonnes of fodder, according to information provided by deputy commissioners and the Animal Husbandry Department. The stock is expected to last for about 33 weeks.
However, fodder stocks are sufficient for only 25 weeks in 49 taluks and less than 20 weeks in 18 taluks.
The government has released Rs 25 crore to distribute fodder seed kits to farmers who have access to water sources. The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is also distributing fodder seed kits.
Parameshwara urged farmers who have cultivated fodder to preserve their stocks carefully, considering the prevailing drought conditions.
–IANS
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