Karnataka CM seeks central assistance as State braces for drought

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the state was facing an alarming rainfall deficit, with reservoir levels dropping sharply.

He directed officials to treat drinking water security as the top priority while preparing for a possible drought declaration and seeking Central assistance.

Chairing a special Cabinet meeting followed by a nearly four-hour review with deputy commissioners, zilla panchayat chief executive officers and senior officials from multiple departments, Shiva Kumar said rainfall was nearly 60 per cent below normal in large parts of the state and instructed the administration to intensify field-level drought management measures. “We had a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the drought. Though it is Sunday, we held a four-hour meeting with all officers to review the situation. We should ensure that no one leaves the villages in search of work,” the CM said, underlining the seriousness of the emerging drought situation.

Shivakumar said rainfall deficiency had been recorded in 178 taluks, with 158 receiving significantly below-normal rainfall, while the situation was particularly difficult in Vijayanagara district.

He said the state’s reservoirs were in a worrying condition, with overall storage standing at only about 40 per cent of the level recorded during the corresponding period last year.

“At present, the available water appears sufficient only for drinking purposes. There is no immediate problem with drinking water,” he said, adding that hydropower reservoirs had only around 20 per cent storage, while reservoirs in the Cauvery basin were about half full and those in the Krishna basin were at around 48 per cent.

The CM said the government had instructed officials to regulate water use carefully and to continuously guide farmers on sowing decisions based on actual water availability. “Farmers should not be encouraged to sow crops without knowing whether irrigation water can be supplied, as that would create unnecessary hardship,” he said.

Referring to Mandya district, Shivakumar said only a limited quantity of Cauvery water had been released exclusively for drinking purposes. “I appeal to farmers there not to take up cultivation expecting irrigation water,” he said.

The CM said groundwater levels had declined sharply across the state and water levels in tanks had also fallen significantly.

According to the review, 3,235 of the state’s 3,817 minor irrigation tanks have less than 50 per cent storage, while 27,450 out of 32,504 Zilla Panchayat tanks also contain less than half their capacity.

To address drinking water needs, Shivakumar said he had already directed that Rs 1 crore be earmarked in every Assembly constituency exclusively for drinking water works.

He said around Rs 329 crore was already available in the accounts of local bodies and stressed that there was no shortage of funds for emergency drinking water measures.

“I have instructed that this money be used immediately under the chairmanship of the local MLA through constituency-level meetings,” he said.

The CM said officials had been instructed to prepare the state’s drought memorandum for submission to the Centre within the next 15 days and ensure that every claim was backed by proper documentation.

“I have already requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a Central team,” he said.

He said Karnataka’s Members of Parliament would be briefed before the issue was taken up in Parliament.

Shivakumar repeatedly emphasised that decisions should be based on ground realities rather than “office files.”

“I have made it very clear that I do not want paper reports. Officials’ own observations must be their evidence. Every officer must visit the field and submit reports after personally inspecting the situation,” he said.

Asked when drought-hit taluks would be officially notified, the CM said the state would follow the Centre’s prescribed procedure.

“We will certainly declare them, but the Central Government has prescribed guidelines. We need complete drought assessment reports before making the declaration. I do not believe in paper reports. I believe in what officials see with their own eyes. They must visit the field, record videos and bring documentary evidence,” he said.

Shivakumar instructed officials to ensure adequate fodder availability and prepare contingency plans for livestock.

While noting that there was no immediate shortage of fodder, he directed the departments concerned to build local fodder reserves, prepare to open goshalas (cow shelters) if necessary, and ensure that small and marginal farmers were protected during the drought.

He said gram sabhas should identify labour-intensive works such as groundwater recharge, farm bunding, land development, check dams and other community infrastructure projects so that rural residents could be provided employment within their villages.

“No one should be forced to migrate to other states in search of work. People should be provided with employment within their villages,” he said.

The CM ordered strict monitoring of new borewell works, saying every borewell should be video-recorded before drilling and its GPS coordinates documented to prevent misuse and fraudulent billing.

He directed that power infrastructure, including transformers, be kept ready to ensure newly drilled borewells became operational without delay.

Shivakumar said regional drought review meetings had already been held for the Kalaburagi and Belagavi divisions and that similar meetings would be conducted in Chitradurga on July 25 and later in Mysuru.

He said officers had been instructed to remain at their headquarters, undertake regular field inspections and involve local elected representatives during borewell drilling to ensure transparency.

Describing the drought response as a collective effort, Shivakumar said there would be “no Sundays or holidays” for officials until the situation improved.

“This is Team Karnataka. The government and all officials must work together as one team,” he said.