Karnataka fast becoming most arid state & nothing in sight to water hopes

Karnataka’s arid region is growing alarmingly. The dry condition, which was prevalent in 13 districts in the north-eastern and south-interior regions of the state a decade and a half ago, is now slowly creeping into Malnad region too.

Senior revenue department officials said nearly 20 districts of Karnataka are either arid or semi-arid regions now.

Desertification is happening in the arid region, while semi-arid regions are becoming arid regions. Even pockets of semi-humid regions are turning into semi-arid regions.

The drought assessment study by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) 2022-23 indicates that the situation might worsen in the next few years.

Data on drought-hit taluks over the past 20 years shows that only coastal districts, which generally record heavy rainfall, were exempted from drought. However, the study says, these areas too are increasingly becoming vulnerable to erratic rainfall distribution.

As per the ‘Karnataka at a glance 2021-22 report’, nearly 80% of the 31 districts in the state are drought-prone and 77% of the total geographic area of the state is arid or semi-arid.

Recently, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda conceded that the state is fast overtaking desert state Rajasthan in terms of being the most arid state in India.

Government recognises a region as arid if it receives 100 mm to 500 mm of annual rainfall, and a semi-arid region if it gets below 850 mm of annual rainfall.

Karnataka’s average annual rainfall is 1,153 mm of rainfall, with coastal and Malnad regions receiving in excess of 3,000 mm of annual rainfall.

Though the classification of arid and semi-arid status changes every year based on the average rainfall received, there are certain districts that have become perpetual arid regions.

The report says, in the past two decades, Karnataka has endured 15 years of drought.

Experts say that the present situation is more human-made than natural. They say cropping patterns, misuse of land and water, degradation of forest areas and extraction of groundwater have resulted in a vast expansion of arid regions in the state.

Nearly 60% of Karnataka’s geography is rocky area with loose topsoil. Over the years the rainfall in north and south interior Karnataka has also reduced.

At least eight districts of the state come under rain shadow region (receiving limited rain and having degraded green cover) and parts of the state have high wind speed and temperatures crossing 40-degree Celsius, resulting in higher evaporation of water. All these factors make the state susceptible to dryness.

Hydrogeologist N J Devaraja Reddy says more than natural reasons, it is the failure of successive governments to implement water use policy that has aggravated the situation. 

“Despite Kalyana Karnataka, Kittur Karnataka and parts of old Mysuru region reporting long spells of dryness, farmers here continue to grow water-guzzling commercial crops like paddy, areca and sugarcane. They are exploiting surface water and groundwater to cultivate these crops, resulting in these regions becoming arid.”

He says unless the government implements water use policy, where water cannot be used for specific crops in command and rain-fed areas, the state will continue to move towards desertification.

Government data shows that of the total cultivated area in the state, nearly 40% is under various sources of irrigation and the rest is under rainfed cultivation.

The major sources of irrigation are tube/bore/open wells (50%), canals (29%) and other sources like tanks, open wells. Lift irrigation accounts for the rest 21%.

“Any inconsistency/variability in seasonal rainfall from normal, during crop seasons (kharif & rabi), will cause crop failure, pushing farmers to depend on borewells or groundwater. The farmers are drawing more groundwater than it is currently being recharged,” says Kalaburagi-based economist Sangeetha Kattimani.

‘Poor management’

T N Prakash Kammardi, former head of the department of agricultural economics at the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, says the government should encourage farmers to opt for rainfed crops like pulses and millets that require less water. He blamed ‘poor management’ of water bodies for increased dry areas. 

“Karnataka was blessed with nearly 40,000 water tanks, lakes and other sources that in the past not only recharged the water table, but also addressed drinking water needs of humans and animals. Today, a majority of them have been encroached,” he says.

Bengaluru is a classic example of how a semi-humid region is turning into a semi-arid region due to disappearing water bodies. Experts say rapid urbanisation and increased population density in Bengaluru have resulted in faster depletion of groundwater. They demand greater investment in water-related projects, urban water management and computing true value of water.

Dipak Sarmah, retired IFS officer who submitted the Karnataka State Action Plan on Climate Change report, says large-scale and arbitrary conversion of forested land for cultivation in the past, mostly in non-Malnad region, resulted in the creation of extensive areas that are unfit for productive agriculture.

These marginal lands have been severely affected by desertification. He says the presence of forests and trees plays an important role in preventing a region from becoming arid.

“Instead of cultivating water-intensive, long-duration agriculture crops, farmers should be encouraged to go for agroforestry and dry-land horticulture that will not only increase forest and tree cover, but also generate income for farmers, besides improving quality of soil.”

Balasubramanian M, assistant professor at Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources, Bengaluru, and member of eco-budget implementing committee of the government, says it has initiated ecological restoration scheme and rainwater harvesting programme.