The Karnataka government on Thursday, September 14 officially declared 195 taluks within the state as being affected by drought due to a weak monsoon. Among these, 161 taluks were classified as severely drought-affected, with 34 labelled moderately hit.
The areas worst affected by this drought were identified in the Old Mysuru and Malnad regions. Seven taluks each in the Mandya and Shivamogga districts, eight in the Mysuru district, and three in the Kodagu district were designated as severely drought-affected. Taluks including Bengaluru East, Anekal, Bengaluru North, Bengaluru South, Yelahanka in Bengaluru Urban district, as well as Devanahalli, Doddaballapur, Hoskote, and Nelamangala in Bengaluru Rural district were also severely affected by the drought. Only two districts, Chamarajanagar and Dakshina Kannada, did not report any taluks facing severe drought conditions.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced that these had met the criteria to be declared drought-affected, and the government would be submitting a memorandum to the Union government to seek relief. The order designating these taluks as drought-affected will remain in effect for a period of six months, or until further instructions are provided by the state government.
The government's order further said that the monsoon in Karnataka experienced a delay of about one week in June, with rainfall in June being 56% below normal. While July saw an improvement with 29% excess rainfall recorded, August witnessed another period of weak monsoon, with a rainfall deficit of approximately 73% compared to normal years. August's meagre rainfall was the lowest recorded in the past 125 years, according to the order.