Caught in a bind over sharing of Cauvery water with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka was hoping for the rain god to show some mercy in September. However, the state's hopes have been dashed with the monsoon officially ending on Friday.
"The south-west monsoon was a mixed bag for Karnataka. It was erratic, both geographically and timewise. While north Karnataka received plenty of rain, the southern districts were sparsely covered. We haven't seen such a phenomenon in recent times," said B Puttanna, retired meteorologist.
From June 1 to September 30, the state received 4% excess rain, which should technically be dubbed a normal monsoon. North Karnataka witnessed heavy showers over the past fortnight, which also led to floods in Bidar and Kalaburgi districts.
Usually, north Karnataka districts, which geographically comprise a semi-arid plateau, receive sparse rain. But this time, rainfall in the region has been above normal, with some districts being ravaged by floods. But majority of the Malnad region, which normally contributes the most to the state's precipitation, has not seen much rainfall. The decline ranges from 33% in the case of Kodagu to 18% in Udupi.
Drought looms over 35 taluks; 68 have already been declared drought-hit. This takes the total number of rain-deficient taluks to 103. "A cabinet sub-committee may make an announcement next week, prompting the government to seek help from the Centre," said revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa.
"The south-west monsoon was a mixed bag for Karnataka. It was erratic, both geographically and timewise. While north Karnataka received plenty of rain, the southern districts were sparsely covered. We haven't seen such a phenomenon in recent times," said B Puttanna, retired meteorologist.
From June 1 to September 30, the state received 4% excess rain, which should technically be dubbed a normal monsoon. North Karnataka witnessed heavy showers over the past fortnight, which also led to floods in Bidar and Kalaburgi districts.
Usually, north Karnataka districts, which geographically comprise a semi-arid plateau, receive sparse rain. But this time, rainfall in the region has been above normal, with some districts being ravaged by floods. But majority of the Malnad region, which normally contributes the most to the state's precipitation, has not seen much rainfall. The decline ranges from 33% in the case of Kodagu to 18% in Udupi.
Drought looms over 35 taluks; 68 have already been declared drought-hit. This takes the total number of rain-deficient taluks to 103. "A cabinet sub-committee may make an announcement next week, prompting the government to seek help from the Centre," said revenue minister Kagodu Thimmappa.