Mysuru: Stating that the Meteorological Department has predicted a poor monsoon this year attributing it to El-Nino effect, Mysuru-Chamarajanagar Districts Natural Disaster Management In-charge Minister Dr. Yathindra Siddaramaiah directed the officials to start preparations for tackling drought-like situation in right earnest.
He was speaking at the Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District-level meeting of officials on drinking water situation and progress of sowing of seeds in monsoon season, at the ZP auditorium here yesterday.
“Mysuru district is facing drought-like situation and officials must ensure drinking water problem does not surface anywhere in the district. The officials must also suggest the farmers to grow crops that are climate resilient. Farmers should drop plans on growing water consuming crops and instead should opt for crops such as ragi, jowar, maize, horse gram etc., for which the district administration should stock enough quantity of seeds. The farmers should be sensitised on growing crops that consume less water,” Dr. Yathindra said.
Instructing the officials to immediately identify villages that are facing drinking water crisis, he said that borewells should be drilled in such villages. “In places where there are no borewells, the officials should hire private water tankers and supply drinking water. At places where new borewells are drilled, the officials should ensure power connection and see that the borewells are functioning properly,” the In-charge Minister said adding that funds would be sanctioned for drinking water supplies.
MLA Tanveer Sait said that the district administration is drilling borewells at places where there is shortage of water and the authorities should ensure that these borewells get power connection from CESC at the earliest.
Chamaraja MLA K. Harishgowda said that MCC officials should respond positively when residents come up with drinking water problems in their localities.
Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy said NDRF (Natural Disaster Response Fund) money can be used for drinking water supplies only after the declaration of the district as drought-hit. As there is no declaration of drought as yet, the funds available in the Rural Development Department can be utilised for meeting drinking water needs, he noted. The DC further said that separate meetings would be held under the chairmanship of local MLAs to discuss drinking water shortage in their respective Constituencies.
Joint Director of Agriculture K.H. Ravi said that the district has faced a shortfall in pre-monsoon rains this year. “Mysuru district has received only 172.3 mm of rainfall as against the normal rains of 287 mm in the period from January to June this year. The shortfall in rains has also severely impacted sowing with only 42.81 percent sowing of seeds done in a targeted area of 1.61 lakh hectares. This is less when compared to 49 percent at this stage last year. The Department has 56,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser stocks as against the demand for 50,000 tonnes from April to June,” Ravi said.
CNNL Superintending Engineer (Harangi Project Circle)Raghupathi said only 9 tmcft (live storage) of water is available for use in KRS and Kabini reservoirs. In such a situation, this water can be used only for supply of drinking water and not for any other purposes.
Pointing out that 2.5 tmcft of water is necessary for supply of drinking water to Bengaluru, Mysuru and 30 other villages every month, Raghupathi said the available water right now is sufficient for just 3.5 months. However, 24 tmcft of water can be made available from Hemavathi and Harangi reservoirs and this water is sufficient to meet the drinking water demands for 9-10 months, he said adding that as of now, water cannot be utilised for growing crops.
MLAs T.S. Srivatsa, H.M. Ganesh Prasad, Anil Chikkamadu and Darshan Dhruvanarayan, MLC Dr. D. Thimmaiah, MP Sunil Bose, Mysuru ZP CEO S. Ukesh Kumar, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Chamarajanagar DC Sriroopa, Chamarajanagar ZP CEO Mona Roth, SP M. Mutturaj and other officials attended the meeting.
This post was published on June 29, 2026 7:30 pm