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Karnataka CM seeks Centre’s aid to assess, control drought situation
Chief minister D K Shivakumar has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a Central team to the state to assess what he described as an emerging drought
Chief minister D K Shivakumar has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send a Central team to the state to assess what he described as an emerging drought.
In a letter on Tuesday, Shivakumar said the state had received only 203 mm of rainfall against the normal 292 mm as of July 11, resulting in a 30% rainfall deficit. He urged the Centre to assess conditions on ground before they worsened further.
“Such a visit would provide a first-hand appreciation of the severity of the emerging drought conditions and reassure the farming community that the Government of India stands with them in this difficult period,” he wrote.
The chief minister attributed the shortfall to an erratic southwest monsoon that entered Karnataka on June 5 but took 17 days to spread across the state because of an extended break in rainfall. He said the Malnad region, which feeds the Cauvery, Tunga and Bhadra river systems, recorded a 34% rainfall deficit, followed by the coastal region at 30%, North Interior Karnataka at 24% and South Interior Karnataka at 18%.
According to the letter, 18 of Karnataka’s 31 districts and 141 of its 240 taluks have reported deficit or large deficit rainfall,
Shivakumar also referred to the IMD’s forecast for below normal rainfall in July, saying the outlook was worrying because the month contributes substantially to the state’s seasonal monsoon.
“As of the first week of July 2026, Kharif sowing has covered only 28.36 lakh hectares, representing merely 34% of the seasonal target of 84.10 lakh hectares,” the letter said.
“Any significant decline in production due to the prevailing drought conditions is likely to have wider implications for the national availability and prices of pulses, especially tur,” it added.
The letter also pointed to declining water reserves.
“As on 10 July 2026, the combined storage in Karnataka’s 14 major reservoirs stands at only 303 TMC, constituting merely 34% of the total gross storage capacity of 895.65 TMC,” wrote the CM.
