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Drought threat looms as parts of Karnataka receive poor rainfall
Government officials have expressed concerns about a drought situation by the first week of due to inadequate rainfall in several regions of Karnataka
The inadequate amount of rainfall has raised concerns of an impending drought situation in significant parts of the state by the first week of July, government officials said.
Krishnarajasagar (KRS) Dam, the vital water source for Bengaluru and supplier of Cauvery water for drinking purposes, is currently at a water level of 78 feet, well below its maximum capacity of 124.8 feet. Comparatively, last year at this time, the water level stood at 106.5 feet. A senior official stated, “The water resources department has already ceased water supply to canals, and if the storage drops below 74 feet, it will be strictly reserved for drinking water only.”
Similarly, the Tungabhadra Dam, which caters to the Hyderabad and Karnataka regions, is currently holding only 4.1 TMC of water, a significant decrease from last year’s 43.9 TMC. The catchment areas responsible for replenishing rivers such as Cauvery and Tungabhadra in Karnataka have received less than one-third of the normal rainfall during the first 25 days of the monsoon season, according to the Karnataka state natural disaster monitoring cell.
Read | After Tamil Nadu, IMD warns of heavy rain over coastal Karnataka; Bengaluru sees few spells of rain
Senior officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the southwest monsoon (SWM) was delayed by slow winds from the Biparjoy cyclone. Even though the monsoon has set in, the distribution of rainfall across several zones of Karnataka has been uneven, resulting in the slow progress of the monsoon in the state.
“Despite the state-wide coverage of the monsoon, Karnataka has still not received its usual amount of rainfall. Except for coastal Karnataka, all other zones in the state have witnessed a severe deficit in rainfall, including the coastal areas. The overall deficit for Karnataka is 64%. We are hopeful that it will improve in the coming days,” said a senior IMD official.
Data from the Karnataka state natural disaster monitoring centre (KSNDMC) shows that all four meteorological zones have experienced a rainfall deficit, with three zones recording a “large deficit” (yellow) and the south interior Karnataka (SIK) region, covering the Cauvery basin, recording a “deficit” (red) rainfall.
“Almost all zones are experiencing cloudy conditions but apart from scattered rainfall, no zone has received an average of more than 10cm of rainfall. This has put reservoirs under tremendous stress and could impact power generation and the supply of potable water if the situation does not change,” a senior government official expressed concern.
Karnataka has faced varying degrees of drought over the past decade, from 2001 to 2019, interspersed with severe floods. Extreme weather events such as floods, prolonged heavy monsoons, and high summer temperatures are increasingly being accepted as the new normal, people familiar with the matter said.
The worst drought in South India occurred between 2016 and 2018 due to a deficit in the northeast monsoon caused by the La Niña effect, leading to a severe water crisis, particularly in Chennai.
Amid fears of drought, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah expressed hope for good rains in the state, saying, “We’re praying for good rains. Sowing has begun in some areas, and we are prepared to commence sowing as soon as it rains. The agriculture department has been instructed to keep seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides ready.”
