Entire state may get heavy rain till month-end

 The state, which has been facing a drought-like situation, may get some relief in September. The southwest monsoon rains are likely to cover the entire state from September first week till the month-end. 

 Karnataka State National Disaster Monitoring Cell director Srinivas Reddy on Saturday said that from September 9 onwards, good rains are expected for about 15 to 20 days. “It may rain heavily even on Gowri and Ganesha festival days. We are expecting rains in Kodagu and Wayanad which may bring water to the Cauvery basin. Still, we cannot make good the paucity of rains we faced in August,” he said. 

The director said there were scattered rains across the state for three days from August 30. The state faced a cumulative rain deficit of 15% from June 3 to September till date. Even the Malnad and costal regions faced a deficit of 28% and 20% respectively.

 “Even if we get good rains for the next couple of weeks, it would not be sufficient to make good the deficit as nearly 85% of the monsoon season is over. The dry spell in August has affected standing crops,” the director said. 

To a question, Reddy said almost all the reservoirs in the state are 50% empty. The exceptions are Almatti, Narayanapur, Harangi and Ghataprabha dams, which are almost full. “The hydel reservoirs like Linganamakki, Supa and Varahi are half empty. The water level in KRS is about 36%,” he said.