Unrelenting rain causes widespread damage to crops across Karnataka

The thundershowers, accompanied by strong winds, has destroyed vast tracts of ready-to-harvest paddy, standing ragi, tur and horticultural crops across the state, leaving the farmers in distress.

In Belagavi district, paddy grown on hundreds of acres in Khanapur taluk has been damaged following sharp showers on Tuesday night. The farmers who had cultivated Belagavi Basmati, are the worst hit. Some of them had harvested the crop and left it in the field for drying.

Several rabi crops have been lost in the rain that battered Belagavi district on Tuesday night, Agriculture, joint director, Shivanagouda Patil, told DH.

The situation was no different in neighbouring Dharwad district, where harvested paddy was washed away due to breach in water bodies, including Neersagar, following the downpour on Tuesday night.

According to a preliminary survey, maize and paddy grown on over 1,600 hectares have been destroyed in Ballari, Siruguppa and Harapanahalli due to prolonged wet weather, said Agriculture, joint director, Mallikarjun. With the rain forecast for next four to five days, the situation will only worsen in the twin districts of Ballari and Hosapete.

Also read: Seasonal showers highest since 2016, Bengaluru gets 79 mm rain in Nov

Acres of paddy and other crops have gone under water due to a sustained moist weather in Chitradurga and Davangere districts.

The moist weather has left the cotton and tur farmers in Raichur district worried about the loss of quality of their ready-to-harvest produce.

In Hassan district, crops, mainly paddy and ragi, grown on over 20,000 hectares have been destroyed in the rain. Huge tracts of fields and plantations have remained under water for over a week now. The historic Vishnusamudra and Nidagodi tanks in Belur have breached, sending huge quantum of water to the fields in the vicinity.

Similarly, ragi, groundnut and jowar among other crops on over 3,915 acres have been lost following the incessant rain for the past one week. The farmers of Hanur taluk are the worst hit where crops on 1,100 hectares are destroyed.

Widespread showers on Tuesday night and Wednesday brought a deluge of civic woes in many parts of the state. An elderly man had a close shave after a portion of his house ceiling near Uttaradimutt in Mysuru came crashing down. The Fire and Emergency Services personnel rescued Ramanath (72) and shifted him to a hospital.

A full-grown tree fell on a house in front of Lakshmipuram police station in Mysuru in the wee hours of Wednesday.

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