BENGALURU: The BJP has sought a special package for Karnataka in view of the state facing one of the worst drought situations.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Jagadish Shettar met the team headed by Joint Secretary of Agriculture Ministry Neeraja Adidam on Saturday and explained the situation. The team has been visiting the drought-hit areas to assess the extent of loss.
Shettar said that of the 176 taluks, the state has declared 139 taluks as drought-affected. This is the third successive year of drought, he said. Around 76 per cent of cultivated land is dependent on rainfall. Crops like paddy, ragi, wheat, groundnut, tur, maize, arecanut, plantain, onion, sugarcane, tobacco, edible oilseeds have all suffered, he said.
Shettar later told reporters that they had provided the team with extensive data on the situation in the state.
“There is 31 per cent of water storage in the 13 main dams in the state. Between June and October, not a single reservoir has filled up to capacity. While Malnad area is facing 29 per cent shortage in rainfall, coastal areas are facing 21 per cent shortage. The total storage in these 13 reservoirs should have been
825.35 tmcft, but it is only 434.15tmcft,” he said.
While the state has experienced loss in 73 lakh hectares during the kharif season, the rabi season is not expected to be any different as the Met department has not forecast rains for the rabi season.