Bengaluru, Oct 3 (IANS): Karnataka has repeatedly written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Agriculture Minister seeking help to tackle the severe drought situation, but has not received any response so far, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara said on Saturday.
Addressing the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) at Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s official residence ‘Krishna’ in Bengaluru, Parameshwara urged the team to conduct an impartial and comprehensive assessment and ensure timely assistance from the Centre.
“We have written several letters to the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Agriculture Minister. I have also written to the concerned Union ministers. But so far, we have not received even a single response. We request you to look into the matter and help us proceed with relief measures,” he said.
Parameshwara said Karnataka was facing one of the most severe droughts witnessed in recent decades, severely affecting agriculture, horticulture, drinking water availability and rural livelihoods.
“This is one of the most severe droughts we have seen in our time. In many places, crops germinated and dried up after producing just two leaves. When it rained, farmers sowed again, but the second crop also dried up. If you visit the fields today, you will see that in many places there is no crop left,” he said.
Karnataka has declared 217 of its 240 taluks as drought-hit. In the 177 taluks assessed so far, crop damage has been reported over about 47.09 lakh hectares, with estimated economic losses of Rs 46,324.50 crore, Parameshwara said.
The state had earlier submitted its first memorandum seeking Rs 3,705.30 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for 101 drought-hit taluks. A supplementary memorandum submitted on October 1 sought another Rs 3,437.34 crore for 76 additional taluks. Thus, Karnataka has sought Rs 7,142.64 crore for the 177 assessed taluks under the two memoranda.
He said the state had strictly followed the criteria prescribed under the Centre’s Manual for Drought Management while identifying and declaring drought-hit areas.
“We are not asking for anything extra. Our only request is that a fair assessment be made. Please take note of the ground reality and help us get the assistance that the state genuinely deserves,” Parameshwara said.
Karnataka recorded an overall 35 per cent rainfall deficit during the 2026 southwest monsoon, receiving only 551 mm of rainfall, which he said was the second-lowest southwest monsoon rainfall recorded in the state since 1956. Of the 31 districts, 30 have recorded deficient rainfall, while 209 of the 240 taluks have reported rainfall deficiency.
Parameshwara said he, the Chief Minister and district in-charge ministers had visited drought-affected areas to assess the ground situation. He said the state’s assessment was based on field-level reports and scientific criteria.
Drinking water has emerged as another major challenge in Karnataka. At present, drinking water is being supplied to 861 rural areas through 227 tankers and 720 hired borewells.
The government expects more than 2,300 gram panchayats to face drinking water shortages in the coming months and has prepared emergency action plans. It has also released Rs 306 crore through the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department for drinking water supply.
“Money alone cannot solve this problem. Drinking water and overall water availability will be major challenges. We will need greater support from the Centre to manage the situation in the coming months,” he said.
