Mandya: With the district witnessing a significant shortfall in monsoon rainfall, Mandya district nodal secretary Manoj Kumar Meena on Friday directed officials to create awareness among farmers about cultivating alternative crops to minimise losses and strengthen drought preparedness.Chairing a district-level review meeting of the revenue department, monsoon preparedness and other key issues, Meena said the govt has initiated a series of measures to effectively tackle the delayed monsoon and emerging drought situation. They also reviewed alternative crop promotion, sowing advisories, crop insurance coverage and fodder availability for livestock.He instructed the agriculture department officials to ensure that all eligible farmers are enrolled under the crop insurance scheme so that they can avail financial protection in case of crop failure.Deputy commissioner Kumara said that Mandya has recorded a rainfall deficit of around 28%, severely affecting agricultural operations. Insufficient rainfall has hampered sowing of crops such as maize, pigeon pea, black gram, green gram, cowpea, sesame and castor, making it difficult to achieve the targeted cultivation area. He said the water level in the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) reservoir has dropped to 81 feet and the available water is being reserved exclusively for drinking water needs. As irrigation water cannot be released under the prevailing conditions, the agriculture department has been instructed to intensify awareness campaigns on low-water alternative crops and prepare a detailed report on suitable crop options that require minimal irrigation.Zilla panchayat CEO KR Nandini said around 289 villages in the district are likely to face drinking water shortages if dry conditions persist. To address the situation, the administration has identified private borewells to augment water supply and initiated groundwater recharge measures in 167 borewells where water yield has declined.SIR preparations reviewedMeena also reviewed preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He instructed officials to generate awareness among voters to cooperate with booth level officers during house-to-house verification. Meena noted that Mandya district has nearly 15 lakh voters and encouraged citizens to submit enumeration forms online wherever possible.
