6 days ago
Karnataka to Declare 101 Taluks Drought-Hit, Review 32 More
Karnataka has received much less rain than it usually expects.
Because of the dry conditions, the state plans to declare 101 taluks drought-hit.
It is studying 32 more taluks before deciding whether they should also be included.
Many farmers could not plant all their fields, and some crops are not growing well.
The soil has very little moisture in many parts of the state.
The government says it is spending Rs 635 crore to help people and livestock.
It is also checking water supplies and other drought conditions.
The drought situation in the declared taluks will be reviewed every 15 days.
Karnataka will declare 101 taluks drought-hit, while reassessing 32 others that qualified under the first drought trigger.
The state received 465 mm of rainfall against an expected 666 mm between June 1 and August 26, a 30% deficit.
Only 71% of the targeted area was sown, with 104 taluks below 75% sowing and 42 below 25%.
As of August 26, 178 taluks faced soil-moisture stress, including 86 with very severe deficiency and 92 with moderate deficiency.
The government is spending Rs 635 crore on drought management and will review conditions in the declared taluks every 15 days.
- Who
- The Karnataka government, represented by Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara, along with affected farmers and communities.
- What
- The government plans to declare 101 taluks drought-hit and is reassessing 32 additional taluks.
- Where
- Across Karnataka’s taluks, including the 240 taluks assessed by the state.
- When
- The announcement was made on Thursday; the main rainfall and soil-moisture figures were recorded through August 26.
- Why
- Low rainfall, prolonged dry spells, poor sowing, weak crop growth and severe soil-moisture deficiency triggered the assessment.
Karnataka Government’s Position
Existing Union Drought Criteria
Adequacy of drought rules
Karnataka Government’s Position
G. Parameshwara said the current criteria have limitations and urged the Union Government to revise them because brief rainfall between dry spells can remove a taluk’s eligibility even when crops remain affected.
Existing Union Drought Criteria
The Union Government’s Drought Manual, 2020 uses Trigger-1 for dry spells of three or more consecutive weeks and Trigger-2 for factors including sowing, crop conditions, soil moisture, groundwater and water availability. The articles do not include a response from the Union Government.
Phased declarations
Karnataka Government’s Position
The state says it is compelled to declare drought in phases because of limitations in the existing criteria; 101 taluks will be declared first and 32 more are under review.
Existing Union Drought Criteria
Under the described process, taluks must qualify through the prescribed triggers and ground-truthing before being declared drought-hit. The articles do not present a separate Union Government position on the phased approach.
Key facts
- Taluks qualifying for drought declaration
- 101 taluks qualified after assessment and ground-truthing.
- Taluks under review
- 32 taluks that qualified under Trigger-1 are being reassessed.
- Rainfall deficit
- Karnataka received 465 mm against an expected 666 mm from June 1 to August 26, a 30% shortfall.
- Sowing coverage
- Sowing covered 60 lakh hectares, or 71% of the 84.10 lakh-hectare target, as of August 21.
- Soil-moisture conditions
- 178 taluks faced soil-moisture stress as of August 26; 86 had very severe deficiency and 92 had moderate deficiency.
- Drought-management spending
- The government is spending Rs 635 crore on drought management.
- Review schedule
- Conditions in the 101 declared taluks will be reviewed every 15 days.
Quotes
G. Parameshwara
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister
“We carried out the assessment and ground-truthing. 134 taluks qualified under Trigger-1. Following ground-truthing, 101 taluks have currently qualified to be declared drought-affected. The remaining 32 taluks that qualified under Trigger-1 are under review.”
deccanchronicle.com
“Such problems exist in the present criteria. We have repeatedly urged the Union Government to revise them as was done earlier but the Centre has not addressed the issue. Therefore, we are compelled to declare drought in phases.”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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