Karnataka has sought Rs 7,142.64 crore in assistance from the Union government after declaring 217 of the state’s 240 taluks drought-affected, with officials warning that drinking water problems could spread to more than 2,300 gram panchayats.
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwar presented the state’s assessment to an Inter-Ministerial Central Team visiting Karnataka to assess the drought situation. The request comprises Rs 3,705 crore sought in the first memorandum for 101 drought-hit areas and Rs 3,437.34 crore requested in a supplementary memorandum submitted on October 1 for 76 additional taluks.
The state said the 177 taluks covered by the first two memoranda had reported crop losses across approximately 47.09 lakh hectares, with the estimated economic loss placed at Rs 46,324.50 crore. The affected crop area could rise to nearly 55 lakh hectares once assessments are completed, including damage in the 40 additional taluks subsequently declared drought-affected.
Parameshwar told the central team that the drought had been assessed using a scientific process aligned with the Centre’s disaster management guidelines. He said the scale and spread of the situation was unprecedented in recent years, with crops in several locations germinating and drying after producing only two leaves. Some farmers attempted a second sowing after receiving spells of rain, but those crops also dried up.
“If you visit the fields, in several places there is practically no crop left,” Parameshwar told the visiting team. He also said the state had written repeatedly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Union Agriculture Minister, but had not received a response so far.
Karnataka recorded a 35 per cent cumulative rainfall deficit during the 2026 Southwest monsoon, according to the state’s briefing. It received 551 mm of rainfall, described by the state as the second-lowest Southwest monsoon rainfall recorded in Karnataka since 1956. Rainfall deficiency was reported in 30 of the state’s 31 districts.
The rainfall shortfall has also placed pressure on local drinking water systems. The state is currently supplying water through 861 tankers and 720 hired borewells. Officials told the central team that more than 2,300 gram panchayats could face drinking water problems in the coming days and that contingency plans had been prepared.
The central team’s visit is intended to assess the drought situation and the state’s reported crop and water losses. Karnataka’s final assessment will include the 177 taluks covered in the initial memoranda, the 40 additional drought-affected taluks and any further crop damage identified before the assessment is completed.
