Central team in Karnataka to assess drought-hit areas

With Karnataka facing drought for the sixth consecutive year, the centre on Wednesday sent a team to assess the ground situation in the state.

"A central team has been dispatched to assess the drought situation in Karnataka. The team left on Wednesday and will tour the affected region for two days," a senior Union Agriculture Ministry official told PTI.

The team after taking stock of the situation will submit a report, which will be placed before the high-level committee (HLC), headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, for consideration of release of relief funds from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF).

Last week, the state government had submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking a financial aid of Rs 3,375 crore to tackle the situation. It has also sought additional assistance of Rs 120.13 crore to help those farmers who have not sown paddy in the Cauvery command area districts.

The Karnataka government has declared 110 taluks of 25 districts as drought-hit during the 2016 kharif season.

In the memorandum, the state government has said that prolonged continuous dry spell in the drought-declared taluks has destroyed an area of 25.57 lakh hectares crop and loss is estimated at Rs 11,051.33 crore.

Though the state had an overall deficit of 18% during South-West monsoon, there is very high spatial temporal variability of rainfall pattern across the state.

The state government said the rainfall deficit was (-) 57% in South Interior Karnataka, (-) 37% in Malnad during August and (-) 72% in South Interior Karnataka and (-) 36% in Malnad during September.

Buoyed by good rains during June, cultivation of kharif (summer) crops was taken up briskly across the state in 71.67 lakh hectares. As the season progressed, good rainfall received during June and July was completely offset by deficit rainfall received during August and September, it added.