Karnataka asks Centre to declare drought situation as ‘calamity of national significance’
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealing to him to consider declaring the prevailing drought situation in Karnataka
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealing to him to consider declaring the prevailing drought situation in Karnataka as a “calamity of national significance” and extend assistance commensurate with such a situation. In a letter, Dr. Parameshwara has argued that such a measure should be taken given the “exceptional scale of rainfall deficit across Karnataka, the rapidly emerging drinking water crisis, and the far-reaching implications for agriculture and rural livelihoods.” This would greatly strengthen the State’s ability to undertake immediate mitigation measures and protect vulnerable communities, he maintained. “At this critical juncture, timely intervention by the Government of India will provide immense reassurance to farmers, rural households and millions dependent on public drinking water systems,” he said. Severe deficit across He said the southwest monsoon had remained significantly below normal across Karnataka. During June, the State recorded a 42% rainfall deficit, while Kalyana Karnataka region recorded a 36% deficit.
“The rainfall deficit has continued into July, with the State registering a further 34% deficit. Even Bengaluru, the capital city, has recorded nearly 34% deficit rainfall, reflecting the widespread nature of the prevailing conditions. Preliminary assessments indicate that nearly 80% of the sown crop has been lost in several affected areas owing to inadequate rainfall and persistently high temperatures,” he said. Simultaneously, the inadequate groundwater recharge and increased extraction have accelerated groundwater depletion across several districts, he said. Several districts have reported exceptionally high rainfall deficits, including Vijayanagara (61%), Mysuru (55%), Kodagu (51%), Chikkamagaluru (48%), Davangere (47%), Haveri (46%), Shivamogga (44%), Kalaburagi (43%), Dakshina Kannada (43%), and Bidar (40%), indicating that the crisis spans multiple agro-climatic regions of the State, he said. He said Karnataka’s experience during the severe drought of 2023 highlighted several structural issues in the implementation of the NDRF framework.
The assessment process revealed certain procedural and policy constraints that affected the timely and equitable delivery of relief to drought-affected farmers. As Karnataka is likely to submit a Drought Memorandum for the current season if the prevailing monsoon conditions continue, the difficulties experienced during previous years should be addressed before the assessment of the drought situation, he argued. Outdated data He maintained that the continued reliance on the 2015-16 Agriculture Census for determining the number and extent of Small and Marginal Farmer (SMF) holdings no longer reflects the present agricultural landscape. “The 2015-16 Agriculture Census indicates that only 43.94% of landholdings in Karnataka fall under the Small and Marginal Farmer category. However, the State’s FRUITS (Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) database, an Aadhaar-authenticated, Bhoomi- integrated and continuously updated digital registry of farmers, shows that nearly 83% of agricultural landholdings in Karnataka are now held by small and marginal farmers,” he pointed out.
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