Central teams visit drought-hit Bagalkot, Dharwad, Vijayanagara, Ballari districts
Dharwad/Ballari: The two Central drought-assessment teams are continuing their visit in the affected regions in North Karnataka of Bagalkot, Dharwad, Vijayanagara, and Ballari districts today.
The team led by Ajeet Kumar Sahu, Joint Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry, visited Bagalkot and Dharwad and the other team, led by D Rajashekhar, Additional Advisor of the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, toured Vijayanagara and Ballari districts.
In addition to engaging with farmers, the teams gathered information on MGNREGA initiatives, provisions for livestock fodder and water supply, as well as measures implemented by the district authorities to alleviate the crisis.
In Ballari, D Rajashekhar's team met the family of Bhangi Kanthappa of Sri Rama Shettihalli, who took his life after failing to find water in a borewell he had dug availing a loan. The officials reassured the distressed family of all possible support.
In Sandoor, villagers shared their struggles with the officials. Timmappa of Gollarahatti while expressing his sad state of affairs said, "I have invested heavily in cultivating maize, borrowing big amount of money. Now, with no rain, the situation is dire."
The officials gathered information about the previous year's crops, agricultural expenditure, means of livelihood after crop loss, and crop loans from the affected farmers. They also noted that, despite the recent sporadic rains, crop yields remained below expectations.
Ballari Deputy Commissioner Prashant Kumar Mishra provided insights on the situation to the officials.
In Dharwad, Ajeet Kumar Sahu's central team collected details from Deputy Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde.
Farmers in Dharwad had delayed sowing due to delayed monsoon rains. Only 16% of the targeted agricultural land had been sown by the end of June, with a rainfall deficit of 65%. Despite heavy rains in July, only 68% of the land was sown, and due to a 65% rainfall deficit in August and minimal rain in September, 91% of the sown crop was damaged.
The state government has declared five taluks of the district as drought-hit for the current kharif season. Dharwad, Hubballi, Hubballi City, Kundgol, and Navalgund taluks are grappling with drought, causing extensive damage to various crops. In the drought-hit taluks, out of 19,893 hectares of horticultural lands where crops were sown 78 percent (15,487 hectares) have been damaged. Reports on crop damage in Annigeri, Alnavar, and Kalaghatgi taluk were also submitted.
Under the crop insurance scheme, farmers have insured nine major crops. Fodder stocks in the district were projected to last for about 23 weeks, sufficient for the next three months. Fodder seed kits were prepared for distribution to farmers with irrigation facilities to increase fodder availability. Eleven fodder banks, including 4 in Dharwad, 3 in Hubballi, 2 in Kundgol, and 2 in Navalgund, are set to open soon to address fodder shortages.
The district has identified areas for opening five gaushalas, one in each drought-hit taluk, and an action plan has been submitted to the Animal Husbandry Department to provide nutritious supplementary food for animals.
Various measures are underway to create employment opportunities through MGNREGA initiatives, including desilting lakes, lake development, borewell construction, greywater management, tree planting in public spaces, and individual bund construction on farmers' lands in response to the drought.
The teams visited Harobelavadi and Amminabhavi villages in Dharwad Taluk, and assessed loss of crops like onions, cotton, chilies, groundnuts, and more.
Additionally, they observed drought-related work being undertaken under MGNREGA at Amminabhavi village, where saplings are being planted in a 27.5-acre area to generate jobs. The team interacted with over 70 individuals involved in the initiative.
