BENGALURU: People trekking for water for miles, parched fields, no fodder for cattle amid reports of crop loss and mass migration. These grim snapshots tell the alarming drought story of Karnataka. The New Indian Express had carried a series on the grim scenario.
With 162 taluks across the state declared as drought-affected, the Karnataka government is putting its officials, resources and efforts into ensuring drinking water supply to parched settlements, fodder for cattle and earning for labourers. With the supply of drinking water to 2,269 villages and 303 wards of urban areas being the priority, the government is turning to water tankers and private borewells. And 24/7 helplines have been set up in every district to tend to the drinking water needs of the people from drought-hit areas.
Despite voting concluding in Karnataka, the model code of conduct is still in place, the government said, expressing its inability to take up immediate relief works. However, the Chief Secretary has held four video conferences with district commissioners since March to assess the drought situation and oversee relief and rehabilitation measures.
"Water will be supplied to any person calling the control room in a matter of hours. All district commissioners have been asked to ensure the helpline is up and running 24/7," said T Vijay Bhaskar, Chief Secretary to the government, on Tuesday. Out of the Rs 3,302.53 crore earmarked for drinking water schemes in the year 2018-19, he said that Rs 2,91.02 crore had been spent so far. For the year 2019-2020, the government has earmarked Rs 3,658.40 crore for drinking water supply projects.
"Apart from supplying water through tankers, we have hired private borewells to provide water to villages. The rent ranges from Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000 per month," said L K Atheek, Principal Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayat Raj. The government also intends to bypass tender process and approve borewell drilling projects on need basis.
"It is a temporary measure that we will allow for the next two months only in places where there is a dire need for new borewells as drinking water sources," the Chief Secretary said.Currently, 1,205 villages in 26 districts are being supplied with drinking water through 1,893 tankers while 1,064 villages are being supplied with water from hired private borewells. In urban areas, 303 wards in 18 districts are being supplied with water through 214 tankers. A district-level officer has been appointed as nodal officer for every hobli to keep stock of labour, fodder and drinking water problems.
Keeping in mind the welfare of animals, the state government has set up 11 cattle camps where 11,120 cattle have been provided shelter. In all, 128 fodder banks are operational across the state, the Chief secretary said. With its latest estimates, the state has 63.60 lakh tonnes of fodder available that is expected to last the next 14 weeks.
So far, Rs 150 lakh has been sanctioned to each of the 100 out of the drought-hit 162 taluks and Rs 75 lakh sanctioned to the rest of the 62 taluks. A sum of Rs 35 lakh each has been sanctioned to 14 other taluks. While Rs 201.40 crore has been earmarked for emergency drinking water supply, Rs 85.17 crore has been released so far of which Rs 65.27 crore have been spent.
In its effort to ensure continued earning for labourers in a drought year, the government has sought more person-days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from the Union government. The State said it had paid in excess of its share last year due to delayed payments from the Centre. Along with the excess Rs 688.96 crore that requires to be recouped, Karnataka has sought a total of Rs 1,649.579 crore from the Union government to ensure income for labourers.
"As drought situation is continuing to cause severe distress in rural areas, the State Government cannot afford to slow down the implementation of MGNREGA," Karnataka said in a letter to the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
As part of its monsoon preparedness, the government has set up a special committee of officials who will visit flood-ravaged districts of Kodagu, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada and Hassan starting next week.