The Karnataka government has declared 23 additional taluks drought-hit after continued rainfall deficiency, bringing the state’s drought response into a wider phase across several districts. The order, issued by the Revenue Department’s Disaster Management division, takes immediate effect and will remain valid for six months.
The government classified 21 of the newly added taluks as severely drought-hit and two as moderately drought-hit. The decision followed a scientific assessment by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) and ground verification conducted in 214 villages across 24 taluks.
The state had earlier declared 101 taluks drought-hit in a notification issued on August 27. With dry conditions continuing in several parts of Karnataka, KSNDMC studied the remaining 139 taluks and submitted a report to the government. The latest declaration was made following directions issued at a meeting of the Cabinet subcommittee on natural disasters chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Dr G. Parameshwara.
The 21 severely drought-hit taluks are Tiptur in Tumakuru district; Karatagi in Koppal; Manvi, Sindhanur and Sirwar in Raichur; Afzalpur, Aland, Chittapur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir and Shahabad in Kalaburagi; Bhalki in Bidar; Basavana Bagewadi, Babaleshwar and Tikota in Vijayapura; Rattihalli in Haveri; Hubballi, Navalgund, Hubballi City and Annigeri in Dharwad; and Kadur in Chikkamagaluru.
Ponnampet and Virajpet taluks in Kodagu district have been classified as moderately drought-hit. The classification gives the respective district administrations authority to undertake relief and response measures under the guidelines of the State Disaster Response Fund, or SDRF.
District collectors, who chair the district disaster management authorities, have been authorised to initiate the required relief measures. The Agriculture Commissioner, Director of Horticulture and the concerned district collectors have also been directed to jointly conduct crop-loss surveys and submit relief assessment reports to the government without delay.
The drought declaration is based on both field-level verification and the KSNDMC’s consolidated assessment. Ground-truthing was carried out through a mobile application in the 214 villages, providing an administrative record for the classification of affected areas.
The government said rainfall in September was also forecast to remain below normal. KSNDMC will review the drought situation every week, and further taluks may be added to the drought-hit list in stages depending on whether they meet the eligibility criteria. The latest order therefore establishes an ongoing review process rather than a final statewide assessment.
