BENGALURU: Karnataka could face a severe shortage of drinking water and electricity in the coming days as drought conditions worsen across the state, chief minister DK Shivakumar warned Monday, asking people to be mentally prepared for tough times ahead.Shivakumar said more than 200 of Karnataka’s 239 taluks were reeling under drought. The state has already declared 101 taluks drought-hit, with 25 more likely to be added to that list based on Union govt norms.Speaking during a visit to his home constituency of Kanakapura, Shivakumar said groundwater levels had fallen sharply, and extensive crop damage had been reported amid deficient rainfall. “There could be a severe shortage of drinking water and electricity,” he cautioned.The crisis has deepened with weak Sept rain. Karnataka has received only 10 mm of rain so far this month, against a normal of 51 mm — an 81% deficit — data from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre showed. There has been deficient rainfall in the state every month since June.Dwindling water levels are now squeezing power generation too, with electricity demand crossing 19,000 mw during peak hours last week. The state had to buy power for around Rs 13 per unit during the evening peak hours, Shivakumar said, adding that the govt was exploring higher thermal generation and drawing electricity from coal-producing states through the One Nation, One Grid system, though this would involve transmission costs. “I have told our energy minister KJ George to discuss this and speak to neighbouring states about what needs to be done,” he said.Two-day sessionTwo days of the legislature’s special session, from Sept 21-23, would be devoted to discussing the drought and its impact on farmers, with MLAs allowed to raise constituency-specific concerns.The session would also take up the issue of implementation of the Kasturirangan report, which recommends declaring 37% of the Western Ghats — around 60,000 sq km — as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA), with a ban on mining, quarrying and thermal power plants.He also announced the state cabinet would hold its first meeting in the coastal region, at Dakshina Kannada, on Sept 18.
