As the State is staring at failure of monsoon for the fourth consecutive year, the Karnataka Government has decided to take to the cloud seeding in five river basins across the State. The Cabinet took the decision on Wednesday and approved cloud seeding to help drought-stricken farming community since monsoon has failed in many parts of the State. Though the monsoon entered the State on June 5, the rainfall during the month was below the expectation. Agriculture activities, including ploughing and sowing, are yet to begin in many parts of the State.
The Siddaramaiah Government has approved Rs 30 crore for undertaking cloud seeding near Cauvery, Malaprabha and Tungabhadra and other river basins. The cloud seeding work has been entrusted to Hoysala Project Private ltd. According to law Minister TB Jayachandra the Development Commissioner would monitor the operation which would be taken up immediately and continue for next 60 days.
Jayachandra said that a detailed project report was prepared and a Committee comprising of cloud seeding experts and other experts from the Indian Institute of Science and Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre was formed to oversee the operation.
While shortage of rain in Cauvery basin led to legal battle further worsening between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over release of water from reservoirs built across river Cauvery, the North Karnataka, Bombay-Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka region witnessed severe drinking water shortage. Karnataka had to depend up on Maharashtra to get water from Koyna dam during peak summer.
Even though scientific community is divided over the outcome of the cloud seeding the Government finds cloud seeding is ray of hope to change weather conditions by spreading dry ice on clouds for rains. The cloud seeding when it was tried when SM Krishna’s period, it did not yield expected results.
Few days back owing to pressure the ruling Congress Government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has waived of farmer’s loan up to Rs 50,000 per farmer for crop and short-term loans worth Rs 8,165 crore to reduce the burden of rising debt on farmers. Karnataka became one of four States to announce farm loan waiver. Other States to do so are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Maharashtra. Siddaramaiah has also written letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive off farm loans taken from commercial and nationalised banks.
In view of the successive droughts the State Government is also taking a relook on the cropping pattern and advising farmers to go far millet sowing in a big way. Millets are a new fad among diet conscious people and has a good market across the country. This initiative according to State Government would be a longtime measure to mitigate drought.