Severe drought hits 89 Karnataka taluks, additional 21 added in latest review

Karnataka’s ongoing drought monitoring has now recorded 124 taluks under distress, with 89 taluks classified as severely affected in the first survey and 21 more added in the second round.

Deputy Chief Minister G. Parmeshwar explained that the state’s evaluation relies on scientific indicators such as rainfall shortfall, soil moisture, and crop condition. The first phase covered 102 taluks, designating 101 as drought‑impacted – 89 severe and 12 moderate.

The second phase introduced 23 new taluks to the list; among them, 21 are severe, including Tipatur, Karatagi, Manavi, Sindhanur, Sirwar, Afzalpur, Aland, Chitapur, Kalaburagi, Yadrami, Shahabad, Bhalki, Basavanagadde, Babaleshwar, Tikota, Rattihalli, Haveri, Navalgund, Haveri City, Annagiri and Kadur. Ponnapet and Virajpet fall into the moderate category.

The government will now focus on ground‑truthing 53 taluks across 17 districts, selected based on data collected from June 1 to September 16. Using the Crop Loss GT mobile platform, field officers will capture geo‑tagged photos, GPS coordinates, land parcel information and precise loss estimates. Teams will conduct field visits on September 19‑20, with final assessments due to district commissioners by September 21.

Parmeshwar emphasized that the state will keep a close eye on the southwest monsoon’s performance and perform additional ground assessments if required, ensuring that relief reaches every farmer in need.