Kushalnagar: Reacting to the widespread failure of Telemetric Rain Gauges (TRGs) across Gram Panchayats, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) Director S. Honnamba told Star of Mysore that Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda and the Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department recently conducted a comprehensive review of all TRGs and weather stations.

The operational status of each unit was examined in detail. “The Minister has directed that all non-functional TRGs and weather stations be either refurbished or replaced on a priority basis,” she said.

“We are currently seeking approval from the State Cabinet, following which procurement will begin. We expect most TRGs and stations to be functional within the next three months.” She added that damages are being categorised into three types — wear and tear, primary damages and mechanical issues.

“Minor repairs will be addressed on priority across all 6,533 TRGs. Major repairs, however, require funding, which is contingent on Cabinet approval,” she noted.

However, the bureaucratic process — placing the proposal before Cabinet, securing funds, calling tenders, and replacing or repairing machines — will take at least four to five months.

By then, the vigorous South West Monsoon will have run its course. Until then, people in rain-prone regions will have to rely on automated and often unreliable rainfall alerts, lacking real-time, ground-level data when it’s needed most.