195 taluks drought-hit, North Karnataka is worst affected: Government
BENGALURU: The state government on Thursday officially declared 195 out of 237 taluks in Karnataka as drought-hit. While 161 taluks are found to be severely drought-hit, 34 will come under drought-hit taluks for the next six months.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said the state government will now submit a memorandum to the Centre seeking funds for drought relief.
The declaration of 195 taluks as drought-hit was based on surveys and reports in these taluks, he said. The guidelines to the Deputy Commissioners for taking up drought relief works will be issued as per the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms.
The revenue department issued a Government Order late Wednesday night, which stated that drought declaration was done based on the DCs’ reports after completing ground-truth-finding surveys. Of the 195 taluks declared as drought-hit, a majority are in North Karnataka, with Belagavi having the highest at 13, followed by Vijayapura (12), and Kalaburagi (11). Also, there are a good number of taluks from the Old Mysuru region and Central Karnataka. Among the lowest are Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts with two each, and Bidar and Chamarajanagar with three each.
K’taka recorded lowest rainfall in 125 years
The GO stated that the South West Monsoon entered Karnataka on June 8, and after 14 days, it spread across the state. In June, the state recorded 56 per cent less rainfall than normal. Although the state received more rain in July, August saw a deficit of 73 per cent. This rainfall record is the lowest in the last 125 years.
From June 1 to September 2, 512 mm of rain was recorded, as against the normal of 701 mm, a deficit of 27 per cent. However, as per the drought parameters, there should be more than 60 per cent rain deficit and three weeks of dry spells on the trot. As per these guidelines, the state government finalised the list of 195 drought-hit taluks
NO. OF TALUKS (DISTRICT WISE)
BELAGAVI: 13; Vijayapura: 12; Kalaburagi: 11; Tumakuru: 10; Bagalkot: 9; Uttara Kannada: 9; Mysuru: 8; Mandya: 7; Koppal: 7; Shivamogga: 7; Raichur: 6; Kolar: 6; Chikkaballapur: 6; Chitradurga: 6; Davanagere: 6; Chikkamagaluru: 6; Gadag: 6; Yadgir: 6; Vijayanagara: 6; Haveri: 5; Dharwad: 5; Hassan: 5; Bengaluru Urban : 5; Ramanagara: 5; Ballari: 5; Bengaluru Rural: 4; Kodagu: 4; Chamarajanagar: 3; Bidar: 3; Dakshina Kannada : 2; Udupi: 2
‘REVIEW CWRC ORDER’
DyCM DK Shivakumar has appealed to Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to ask the Cauvery Water Management Authority to consider Karnataka’s pleadings and review the decision of Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.
