Karnataka faces worst drought in 40 years

Laxman Gouda, 63, a farmer in Karagam Doddi of Raichur district, is praying for rain.

“Our village elders say they have never seen such a drought,” says Gouda, who owns five acres. "We have lost all the crops."

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Raichur and other northern districts such as Kalburgi, Bijapur and Bidar are among the most drought affected districts of Karnataka, for a second year. Raichur is located between the Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers, both  dry. The Almatti dam, which stores water from the Krishna, is seeing “dead storage” at only  10 per cent of its capacity of 124 tmc ft. If they open the sluice gates, there will be a trickle, not a gush.

Karnataka is having drought for a third year and apparently its worst in about four decades. Farmers missed sowing during both the kharif and rabi seasons. Of the 176 taluks, 136 have been declared drought-hit, leading to migration of thousands to cities. Only the coastal districts have escaped the water problem.

“We haven’t seen such a crisis in 42 years,” says Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has sought Rs 2,200 crore from the Centre to mitigate the crisis. He is also leading a delegation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seek additional help.

Karnataka, a biodiversity hotspot, has 10 agro climatic regions. These range from the lush Western Ghats to the arid regions in Kalburgi. This third drought has aggravated the situation, which experts say can be handled only through planning and coordination between agencies at the local level to implement mitigation measures.

“This year’s drought is unprecedented and it is part of the climate change we are witnessing globally,” says Sunil Nautiyal, head of the Centre for Ecological Economics and Natural Resources at the Institute of Social and Economic Change. “The only way you can mitigate is through adequate planning and provide relief measures by coordinating at the micro level. And, we should have a long-term plan for reviving groundwater.”

The state government’s efforts to mitigate the crisis is not enough, say Opposition parties. B S Yeddyurappa, former chief minister and state Bharatiya Janata Party president charges: “Instead of focusing energies to help the drought-affected, ministers are fighting with each other.”