Karnataka recorded no rainfall in six districts between October 1 and 8, while only Bengaluru Urban and Kolar received rainfall within normal levels, according to data based on an India Meteorological Department report and available through the Karnataka State Disaster Management Centre.
The figures point to a weak start to the post-monsoon period, with northern Karnataka facing the sharpest shortfall. Of the state’s districts, 10 recorded deficient rainfall during the period and 13 were classified as having severe deficiency. Six districts—Bidar, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Vijayapura and Bagalkot—received no rain, resulting in a 100% deficiency for the period.
Bengaluru Urban received 53 mm of rain and Kolar recorded 39 mm, making them the only two districts with rainfall described as normal. The rainfall totals in several other districts were substantially lower than normal: Mandya received 10 mm, Tumakuru 17 mm, Chitradurga 6 mm, Davanagere 4 mm, Shivamogga 11 mm and Haveri 8 mm.
The severe-deficiency group also included Uttara Kannada, with 7 mm; Vijayanagara, 5 mm; Ballari, 4 mm; Koppal, 5 mm; Gadag, 4 mm; Dharwad, 13 mm; and Belagavi, 5 mm. These districts were identified as having rainfall far below their usual levels for the period.
Several districts in southern and coastal Karnataka also recorded below-normal rainfall. Udupi received 42 mm, Dakshina Kannada 69 mm, Chikkamagaluru 27 mm, Hassan 21 mm and Chikkaballapura 29 mm. Bengaluru Rural recorded 32 mm, Bengaluru South 29 mm, Kodagu 32 mm, Mysuru 21 mm and Chamarajanagar 20 mm. The report classified rainfall in these districts as below normal, rather than normal.
The distribution is significant for more than agriculture. Rainfall in October influences local water availability, soil moisture, reservoir inflows and the operating conditions of urban and rural water systems. A dry spell in northern districts can also increase dependence on stored water and groundwater, although the supplied report does not provide current reservoir or groundwater figures.
The rainfall deficit follows a monsoon season that the report describes as deficient across much of Karnataka. The state is now approaching the beginning of the northeast, or post-monsoon, rainfall period, but the report states that substantial rainfall is not expected across the state in October. It adds that some areas may receive rain during the first part of the month before rainfall reduces later.
The immediate monitoring priority for authorities will therefore be the distribution of any subsequent rain, particularly in the six districts that received none during the first eight days of October. The Karnataka State Disaster Management Centre’s continuing assessment, based on IMD information, will determine how the deficit develops through the rest of the month.
