Drought Looms large… 

…after a gap of eight years 

• Last drought was recorded in 2018 

• Previous drought years were 2015 and 2001 

Mysuru: With the India Meteorological Department forecasting below-normal monsoon rainfall this year due to the El Niño effect, the Agriculture Department has advised farmers in Mysuru district against cultivating paddy, a crop that requires large quantities of water. 

The prolonged delay in the monsoon and scanty rainfall have left farmers worried about the cropping season. With rivers, reservoirs and other major water bodies witnessing a sharp decline in water levels, uncertainty looms over agriculture across the district. Amid the prevailing drought-like situation, the Agriculture Department has released data on normal rainfall, rainfall received so far, crop-sowing targets and the extent of sowing completed in the district. 

Drought fears 

Karnataka is staring at the possibility of drought after a gap of eight years. The last drought was recorded in the State in 2018, while previous drought years were 2015 and 2001. 

The southwest monsoon, which set in over neighbouring Kerala on June 4, was expected to enter Karnataka within a couple of days. However, even a month later, the State continues to await widespread monsoon rains, raising fears of another drought. 

The situation is in stark contrast to last year, when Karnataka received abundant rainfall. Heavy rains in the Cauvery catchment areas of Kodagu and Mysuru districts had filled the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) reservoir to its maximum level of 124.80 ft by the end of June.  

Paddy sowing lags behind 

Paddy is cultivated over a target area of 3.76 lakh hectares across the nine taluks of Mysuru district. However, owing to poor rainfall, sowing has been completed in only 1,62,526 hectares, accounting for just 42.15 per cent of the target. 

In view of the poor monsoon forecast, the Agriculture Department has advised farmers against taking up water-intensive paddy cultivation to avoid heavy losses. 

The weak monsoon has also affected water availability, with several rivers and other water bodies drying up. 

Cracks have appeared on riverbeds in many places, raising concerns over a possible drinking water shortage in several villages if the rainfall deficit continues. 

Rainfall well below normal 

According to the Agriculture Department, Mysuru district has received only 175 mm of rainfall so far this monsoon against the normal 299 mm for the corresponding period. During the same period last year, the district had recorded 364 mm of rainfall. 

Joint Director of Agriculture K.H. Ravi said farmers have been advised not to cultivate paddy this season because of the weak monsoon. 

He added that the State Government will have to officially declare Mysuru as a drought-hit district before relief measures can be extended to affected farmers. Compensation for crop losses will be paid only after such a declaration, in accordance with government norms. 

Will DKS meet his mentor SMK’s fate? 

Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar (DKS), who calls former Chief Minister late S.M. Krishna (SMK), as his mentor, is facing the same situation like the latter. Severe droughts had struck the State, for three consecutive years from 2001 to 2003 during Krishna’s tenure. The crisis severely impacted over 150 taluks, resulting in massive crop losses estimated at Rs. 5,000 crore. It cost SMK heavily, as his Government suffered a crushing defeat in the 2004 State elections.  

Now, Shivakumar has given a call to farmers not to sow seeds due to dwindling water level in the dams, following 42% rainfall deficit recorded in the month of June, delaying sowing in kharif season. Two more years are left for 2028 Assembly polls and if the situation worsens, DKS, the protégé of SMK, may find himself caught in a similar crisis.