BENGALURU: As the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that North East monsoon will be heavier than normal, farmers in South Karnataka may be happy. But it may not be good news for farmers from North Interior region which has already witnessed heavy crop loss due to rains and floods.
This year, the state witnessed good rainfall during pre-monsoon. Even the South West monsoon (June to September), was slightly above normal this year. During the SW monsoon, the state received 882 mm rainfall as against 852 mm in previous year. While some of the districts like Vijayapura, Yadgir, Kalaburagi received higher than the normal, especially in the last week of September, leading to heavy crop loss. These crops were due for harvest in the next couple of weeks.
Speaking to TNIE, GS Srinivasa Reddy, former director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), said that in Karnataka unlike Tamil Nadu, only 16 per cent of rainfall is from NE monsoon, while it is 74 per cent is from South West.
The state does not largely depend on the North East monsoon. However, some regions in Karnataka with black soil, including Bidar, Kalaburagi, depend on the NE rains. Due to the heavy rains in September, kharif crops were damaged in many districts in North Karnataka.
“With heavy rains and overflow of river, soil moisture saturation is more. Now, if we get more rains, it may not be favourable for sowing,’’ he said.
He, however, said dams are full now and with the NE rains, there will be sufficient water for irrigation and drinking purpose for other places.
On a positive note, farmers especially from South Interior region can go for another long term crop. Professor MB Rajegowda, an expert in agrometeorology and former registrar at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS), Bengaluru, said the farmers can go for 120 to 130 days of rabi crops. This will help them to get better yield, he added.
Heavy rain wreaks havoc in Devanagere, Chitradurga; mine trucks stuck in floodwaters
The torrential downpour that inundated the twin districts of Davanagere and Chitradurga on Wednesday night and the early hours of Thursday inflicted massive damage to both crops and properties. Officials are currently evaluating the extent of the devastation. In Davangere, rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, began late at night and persisted for over four hours, resulting in the inundation of numerous low-lying.
In Challakere’s Heggere and Kaparahalli, several trucks laden with minerals got stuck in floodwaters. In Chitradurga, the rain, which began around 10 pm on Wednesday, persisted until 5 am on Thursday. Crops such as maize, onions and groundnuts sustained damage as they neared the harvesting stage.
