Ninety-eight taluks in 26 districts in the state were declared drought-hit on Tuesday following dry spell in these regions for more than one-and-half months, due to failure of the south-west monsoon.
According to a report in Deccan Herald, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra said 16 districts could not begin sowing operation for the kharif season due to deficient rainfall. Of this, 10 affected districts were in North Karnataka regions and districts of Yadgir, Kalaburagi, Gadag, Raichur and Vijayapura are said to be the worst affected.
The decision to declare the areas as drought-hit were taken based on guidelines issued in 2004, which stated that any area “which has received less than the average rainfall with a continuous dry spell for four weeks, will be declared drought-hit”, The Times of India report stated.
Due to dry spell and the spate of farmer suicides, the minister said that the annual Dasara celebrations would be kept simple, however, without breaking any traditions.
The government will soon approach the Centre seeking financial aid as water levels in all 13 reservoirs such as Krishnarajasagar (KRS) dam and Almatti dam are low.
The government has also released Rs 200 crore towards relief operations, of which Rs 75 crore will be spent on supply drinking water, he added.