As 62 taluks in Karnataka were found to have met the criteria laid down by the Union government for declaring a region as drought-hit, the state government is embarking on a second ‘ground-truthing’ exercise for taluks where the situation has deteriorated since the first one (carried out in August), Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda told the media on Monday, September 4. A ‘ground-truthing’ exercise is the process of gathering verifiable data. Karnataka has been witnessing a water crisis due to inadequate rainfall this year. From June 1 to September 4, Karnataka received 526 mm of rainfall compared to the normal 711 mm, resulting in a 26% rainfall deficit.
The affected sub-districts were identified after a survey was conducted in 113 taluks, which were experiencing significant crop losses due to insufficient rainfall. Since the remaining 51 taluks reported near-drought conditions after the survey, the government would conduct another survey before finalising the list, Gowda explained during his media briefing at the Vidhana Soudha.
“The deputy commissioners have been instructed to expedite the survey process and submit reports within a week’s time for these 51 taluks, along with 83 others. Subsequent decisions regarding drought declarations will be based on the findings of these joint surveys,” Krishna Byre Gowda said.
These reports will also be presented to the Cabinet for approval before official declaration of drought. Once so declared, a drought memorandum would be sent to the Union government, and a task force established in drought-affected taluks, led by local representatives. Since the sowing season was winding up, any rainfall at this point would not help recover crop losses, Krishna Byre Gowda said, adding that all relief measures would be in place before long. A sum of Rs 529 crore has been allocated to the district headquarters concerned to address the drought situation.
In response to the shortage of drinking water for livestock, the government intends to allocate funds through the State Disaster Response Fund to provide water through tankers to affected regions. After the drought is officially declared, relief programs will be implemented in the affected taluks, including providing employment opportunities to those affected by the dry conditions.