Weak monsoon: Karnataka government in 'panic' as districts face deficit rainfall

The government is cautiously monitoring the situation, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

Karnataka will have to declare itself as drought-hit if the monsoon fails, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Monday while admitting that the government is in “panic” as all districts are facing a rainfall deficit.

“As of today, there’s a rainfall deficit in all districts. If there’s no improvement, we will have to start discussing the declaration of drought in the first week of July,” Gowda said.

“It’s been just 10 days since the monsoon entered the state officially. We’re in some panic. The government is cautiously monitoring the situation. Weather experts have said there will be recovery. We’re watching day-to-day (development) (sic),” Gowda said.

The entry of monsoon into Karnataka was delayed by one week. “Also, the cyclone Biparjoy has sucked out moisture from South India,” Gowda said, attributing these reasons for the rainfall deficit.

The government, however, is hopeful. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, Karnataka should get 96-104 per cent rainfall this year, Gowda said, because of which the government is not considering cloud seeding right now.

“In the last 24 hours, Udupi, Mangaluru and Karwar regions that had a big deficit have received rainfall,” Gowda said, adding that Udupi has received 27 mm rainfall, Dakshina Kannada 46 mm and Karwar 20 mm.

Starting Tuesday, scientists have said that the monsoon will pick up in the Kalyana Karnataka region, Gowda pointed out. “Scientists had said earlier that the monsoon will be weak in the third week of June and pick up by the end of the month,” he said.

Karnataka had good pre-monsoon showers. “We got 116 mm rainfall against a normal 115 mm. But now, there’s a shortage,” Gowda said. “We’re hopeful that there will be enough rainfall to make up for the deficit.”

There are 806 habitations across the state that are facing a drinking water problem. These habitations are depending either on tankers or rented bore wells for water supply, Gowda said. “The actual rainfall deficit problem is in the coastal and Malnad regions,” he said.