Bengaluru, Sept 17 (PTI) The Karnataka government on Thursday declared 23 more taluks drought-affected, taking the total number of drought-hit taluks notified so far to 124, amid dry conditions in several parts of the state.
The Revenue Department (Disaster Management) issued an order on Thursday declaring the additional taluks drought-affected based on ground-truthing and a comprehensive assessment by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.
In the first phase, on August 27, the government had declared 101 taluks drought-hit for Kharif 2026.
The KSNDMC subsequently conducted a scientific assessment of the remaining 139 taluks following the continued dry spell in several parts of the state.
On the directions of the Cabinet sub-committee on natural disasters, headed by Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, ground-truthing was conducted through a mobile application in 214 villages across 24 taluks.
Based on the ground-truthing exercise and the comprehensive report submitted by the KSNDMC, 23 additional taluks have now been declared drought-affected, a press release said.
Of these, 21 have been classified as severely drought-affected and two as moderately drought-affected.
The declaration took effect immediately and will remain in force for six months.
The 21 severely drought-affected taluks are Tiptur in Tumakuru district; Karatagi in Koppal; Manvi, Sindhanur and Sirwar in Raichur; Afzalpur, Aland, Chittapur, Kalaburagi, Yadrami and Shahabad in Kalaburagi; Bhalki in Bidar; Basavana Bagewadi, Babaleshwar and Tikota in Vijayapura; Rattihalli in Haveri; Hubballi, Navalgund, Hubballi City and Annigeri in Dharwad; and Kadur in Chikkamagaluru.
The two moderately drought-affected taluks are Ponnampet and Virajpet in Kodagu district.
The government has authorised the respective deputy commissioners, who head the district disaster management authorities, to undertake necessary relief and response measures in accordance with State Disaster Response Fund guidelines.
The Agriculture Commissioner, Director of Horticulture and the deputy commissioners concerned have been directed to jointly conduct crop-loss surveys and submit relief assessment reports to the government at the earliest.
The government said the KSNDMC would review the drought situation every week, as forecasts indicate below-normal rainfall in September as well.
Additional taluks would be notified as drought-affected in phases based on their eligibility, it said.
Informing about the government’s decision to declare 23 more taluks drought-affected, Parameshwara, who holds the Revenue portfolio, said in a post on X that the state government was continuously assessing the drought situation caused by deficient monsoon rainfall on a scientific basis and taking measures in phases to respond promptly to the difficulties faced by farmers.
He said that, based on various scientific parameters such as rainfall received from June 1 to September 16, soil moisture and crop conditions, 53 taluks in 17 districts had now been selected for third-phase ground-truthing.
According to the deputy CM, the ‘Crop Loss GT’ mobile application was being used to make the assessment more accurate and transparent. Through the app, geo-tagged photographs, GPS information, land details and the extent of crop damage would be recorded on the spot.
Teams of officials will visit agricultural fields in the selected villages on September 19 and 20 to directly assess crop damage. Deputy commissioners and the officials concerned have been instructed to submit the final report by September 21, he said.
Stating that the government wanted the actual difficulties faced by farmers to come to its notice, Parameshwara said, “Our objective is to ensure that no farmer is left out of the documentation of genuine crop losses. Further action will be taken on the basis of scientific assessment, a transparent survey and accurate reports.” He said monitoring of the drought situation would continue until the end of the monsoon season, adding, “If necessary, additional taluks will also be included in ground-truthing in subsequent phases.” PTI KSU SSK
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