Amid drought, Yathindra asks officials to prepare for water crisis and promote alternative crops
With Mysuru district recording a 58% rainfall deficit, Urban Development and District In-charge Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Thursday directed officials to take proactive measures to
With Mysuru district recording a 58% rainfall deficit, Urban Development and District In-charge Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah on Thursday directed officials to take proactive measures to prevent any drinking water shortage and prepare a comprehensive drought management plan. Presiding over a review meeting at the Mysuru City Corporation Zone-3 office in Sharadadevinagar, the Minister said that although the district had received rainfall over the past three days, water released from reservoirs should be utilised on priority to fill lakes. He instructed officials ensure lakes are adequately replenished. Warning that drought conditions could persist until June next year, Mr. Yathindra said authorities should remain fully prepared to tackle the situation.
Filling lakes would help recharge borewells in rural areas, while innovative measures would be required to enhance groundwater recharge in urban areas, he added. The Minister also cautioned that drought could increase the risk of communicable diseases and directed officials to conduct regular chemical and bacteriological tests of water supplied through newly drilled borewells and other drinking water sources. Yathindra said the Agriculture Department had already advised farmers against cultivating water-intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane under the prevailing drought conditions. Instead, they should be encouraged to grow low water-requirement crops such as ragi, jowar and millets, carrying out awareness campaigns.
He warned that if the drought persisted, groundwater levels could decline further, forcing authorities to depend on government and private water tankers. Officials were asked to draw up contingency plans. Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Deve Gowda urged officials to ensure equitable distribution of water while filling lakes and stressed the need for urban local bodies to strengthen solid waste management. Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy said drinking water is currently being supplied through six tankers to six wards in Hootagalli, three tankers to two wards in Bogadi, and five tankers to five wards in Rammanahalli.
He also said that while 2.22 lakh hectares were sown during the previous season, cultivation this year has declined by 60,000 to 70,000 hectares, with sowing currently covering about 1.66 lakh hectares. MLA Darshan Dhruvanarayan, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Yukesh Kumar, Mysuru City Corporation Commissioner Savitha M.K., and other officials attended the meeting.
The BriefWire