A rerun of 2009
The dreaded days of 2009 are back to haunt people in Kolar district once again.
The dry spell has sapped the vitals of not only the people, but also the cattle. The less said, the better about the crops, which are coming to a nought after all the hard work put in by farmers.
It has been quite a few years since tanks have had sufficient water, and one cannot find the elixir of life even after sinking deep borewells.
While three taluks - Kolar, Srinivaspur and Bangarpet - have been declared drought-affected, the government is monitoring the situation in Malur and Mulbagal. There was a continuous dry spell from August 27 to September 19.
After a brief spell of showers for two days, there was no rain again from September 21 to 28. This has led to a severe water scarcity.
The downpours in the first week of October had hope floating for the farmers.
The crops have recovered a bit, but their survival in the final analysis depends on whether it rains in the near future.
The agriculture department estimates that crops on 20,000 hectares may be lost due to drought.
The ragi harvest is likely to fall short by 25 to 30 per cent, while in the case of groundnuts, it may be 35 per cent to 40 per cent.
The district administration is forced to supply water to villages from borewells and through tankers even in the rainy season, and this has caused a lot of concern for residents.
