Bengaluru, Jul 14 (PTI) Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to depute a central team to assess the emerging drought situation in the state, citing a 30 per cent rainfall deficit, delayed monsoon and its adverse impact on agriculture, drinking water and reservoir levels.
In a letter to Modi, Shivakumar said Karnataka had initiated drought mitigation measures but sought an early on-ground assessment by the Centre, saying timely intervention would strengthen the state’s efforts to tackle the evolving situation.
“I request that a Central Team may kindly be deputed to Karnataka to assess the prevailing situation on the ground. Such a visit would provide a first-hand appreciation of the severity of the emerging drought conditions and reassure the farming community that the Government of India stands with them in this difficult period,” the chief minister said in his letter.
The letter said Karnataka had received 203 mm of rainfall against the normal 292 mm as on July 11, registering a 30 per cent deficit, while 18 of the state’s 31 districts and 141 of its 240 taluks had recorded deficit to large-deficit rainfall.
Shivakumar said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecast below-normal rainfall during the 2026 southwest monsoon due to strengthening El Nino conditions and warned that the delayed onset and erratic distribution of rainfall had already affected Kharif cultivation.
“As of the first week of July 2026, Kharif sowing has covered only 28.36 lakh hectares, representing merely 34 per cent of the seasonal target of 84.10 lakh hectares,” he said.
He also expressed concern over dwindling water availability, stating that the combined storage in Karnataka’s 14 major reservoirs stood at only 303 TMC, or 34 per cent of their total gross storage capacity of 895.65 TMC, as on July 10.
The chief minister said Karnataka, with 84.79 lakh hectares of rainfed agricultural land, remained highly vulnerable to rainfall variability, adding that the state was one of the country’s largest producers of pulses, particularly tur, and any sharp fall in output could have implications for national availability and prices.
He said the state government had issued crop advisories and district-specific contingency plans, besides directing all departments to implement drought mitigation measures. He added that Karnataka had also decided to accord the highest priority to conserving available reservoir water for drinking purposes. PTI GMS SA
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