Bengaluru/Bagalkot: Karnataka may nearly double its drought-hit taluks from 101 to around 200 by the end of Sept as drought conditions worsen amid severe water stress and little prospect of rainfall.Chief minister DK Shivakumar, reviewing the drought situation in Bagalkot district Friday, said more taluks would be declared drought-hit over the next fortnight.His statement came a day after a cabinet sub-committee resolved to expand the list by adding more districts by the end of this month. The sub-committee reviewed the 2026 monsoon, drought conditions and other natural calamities, and noted that rainfall in Sept is likely to remain below normal, based on India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts.Eshwar Khandre, rural development and panchayat raj minister and a member of the sub-committee, told TOI that the number of drought-hit taluks could rise to between 180 and 200 by the end of Sept. “The existing 101 taluks were declared drought-hit based on NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) guidelines. Many other taluks could not make it to the list at the time because they had received average rainfall. However, with scanty rainfall over the past few days and a weak monsoon forecast for the rest of the month, several other taluks are now eligible to be declared drought-hit,” Khandre said.Speaking at Kudalasangama in Bagalkot district, Shivakumar said Karnataka had recorded a 42-43% rainfall deficit so far. “Barring a few catchment areas, monsoon has not been favourable to Karnataka. While the situation in some districts is severe, it is no different in parts of north Karnataka, as I have observed during my tour over the past few days. We’ve been assessing the regions through both aerial surveys and ground inspections, as per the Centre’s guidelines. After scientifically assessing rainfall, the deficit and other parameters, we’ll expand the list of drought-hit taluks in a phased manner,” the CM said.Acknowledging that the Krishna basin had received modest inflows, he said: “But this is not the case with the Cauvery and other basins. As farmers in Tamil Nadu are demanding water for their crops, we’ve been taking careful decisions in the interests of our farmers after consulting my colleagues Cheluvarayaswamy and Yathindra Siddaramaiah. Rather than releasing water from Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS), we’ve been releasing water from Kabini.”According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data, Karnataka recorded a 32% rainfall deficit during the southwest monsoon period from June to Sept.“Among Karnataka’s meteorological regions, the south-interior districts have been hit the hardestBengaluru/Bagalkot: Karnataka may nearly double its drought-hit taluks from 101 to around 200 by the end of Sept as drought conditions worsen amid severe water stress and little prospect of rainfall.Chief minister DK Shivakumar, reviewing the drought situation in Bagalkot district Friday, said more taluks would be declared drought-hit over the next fortnight.His statement came a day after a cabinet sub-committee resolved to expand the list by adding more districts by the end of this month. The sub-committee reviewed the 2026 monsoon, drought conditions and other natural calamities, and noted that rainfall in Sept is likely to remain below normal, based on India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts.Eshwar Khandre, rural development and panchayat raj minister and a member of the sub-committee, told TOI that the number of drought-hit taluks could rise to between 180 and 200 by the end of Sept. “The existing 101 taluks were declared drought-hit based on NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) guidelines. Many other taluks could not make it to the list at the time because they had received average rainfall. However, with scanty rainfall over the past few days and a weak monsoon forecast for the rest of the month, several other taluks are now eligible to be declared drought-hit,” Khandre said.Speaking at Kudalasangama in Bagalkot district, Shivakumar said Karnataka had recorded a 42-43% rainfall deficit so far. “Barring a few catchment areas, monsoon has not been favourable to Karnataka. While the situation in some districts is severe, it is no different in parts of north Karnataka, as I have observed during my tour over the past few days. We’ve been assessing the regions through both aerial surveys and ground inspections, as per the Centre’s guidelines. After scientifically assessing rainfall, the deficit and other parameters, we’ll expand the list of drought-hit taluks in a phased manner,” the CM said.Acknowledging that the Krishna basin had received modest inflows, he said: “But this is not the case with the Cauvery and other basins. As farmers in Tamil Nadu are demanding water for their crops, we’ve been taking careful decisions in the interests of our farmers after consulting my colleagues Cheluvarayaswamy and Yathindra Siddaramaiah. Rather than releasing water from Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS), we’ve been releasing water from Kabini.”According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data, Karnataka recorded a 32% rainfall deficit during the southwest monsoon period from June to Sept.“Among Karnataka’s meteorological regions, the south-interior districts have been hit worst, with a rainfall deficit of 44%, followed by north-interior Karnataka districts with 36% and Malnad (Western Ghats) districts with 35% deficit. The situation in coastal Karnataka is also alarming, with the three districts recording a 24% rainfall deficit this monsoon,” a revenue official said.(With additional reporting by Sangamesh Menasinakai from Hubballi), with a rainfall deficit of 44%, followed by north-interior Karnataka districts with 36% and Malnad (Western Ghats) districts with 35% deficit. The situation in coastal Karnataka is also alarming, with the three districts recording a 24% rainfall deficit this monsoon,” a revenue official said.(With additional reporting by Sangamesh Menasinakai from Hubballi)
