Karnataka faces 60% rain deficit as Shivakumar puts drinking water first
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the state was facing an alarming rainfall deficit and a sharp fall in reservoir levels, with
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the state was facing an alarming rainfall deficit and a sharp fall in reservoir levels, with large parts of the state receiving nearly 60 per cent less rain than normal. He said drinking water security would be the government's top priority as it prepared for a possible drought declaration. After a special Cabinet meeting and a nearly four-hour review with deputy commissioners, zilla panchayat chief executive officers and senior officials, Shivakumar said the administration had been told to step up drought management on the ground. He also said the state would prepare a drought memorandum for the Centre within 15 days and seek Central assistance. Read Full Story "We had a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the drought. Though it is Sunday, we held a four-hour meeting with all officers to review the situation. We should ensure that no one leaves the villages in search of work," the Chief Minister said. He said rainfall deficiency had been recorded in 178 taluks, with 158 receiving significantly below-normal rainfall, and added that the situation was particularly difficult in Vijayanagara district. Shivakumar said the state's reservoirs were in a worrying condition, with overall storage at only about 40 per cent of the level recorded during the same period last year. "At present, the available water appears sufficient only for drinking purposes. There is no immediate problem with drinking water," he said. He added that hydropower reservoirs had only around 20 per cent storage, while reservoirs in the Cauvery basin were about half full and those in the Krishna basin were at around 48 per cent.
He said officials had been told to regulate water use carefully and guide farmers on sowing based on actual water availability. "Farmers should not be encouraged to sow crops without knowing whether irrigation water can be supplied, as that would create unnecessary hardship," he said. Referring to Mandya district, he said only a limited quantity of Cauvery water had been released only for drinking purposes, and added, "I appeal to farmers there not to take up cultivation expecting irrigation water." The Chief Minister said groundwater levels had declined sharply across the state and water levels in tanks had also fallen significantly. According to the review, 3,235 of the state's 3,817 minor irrigation tanks have less than 50 per cent storage, while 27,450 out of 32,504 Zilla Panchayat tanks also have less than half their capacity. To meet drinking water needs, Shivakumar said he had already directed that Rs 1 crore be earmarked in every Assembly constituency only for drinking water works. He said around Rs 329 crore was already available in the accounts of local bodies and stressed that there was no shortage of funds for emergency drinking water measures. "I have instructed that this money be used immediately under the chairmanship of the local MLA through constituency-level meetings," he said. He said officials had been instructed to prepare the state's drought memorandum for submission to the Centre within the next 15 days and ensure that every claim was backed by proper documentation.
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