Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar told the state government on 24/26/2017 that the government is well prepared to deal with any drought and it has enough money to deal with it.
His announcement comes as rain is down in some districts and agriculture and drinking water supply and rural lives are under threat.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the government is closely monitoring rainfall patterns and groundwater levels across Karnataka. And that officials have already been directed to identify vulnerable areas and prepare contingency plans so that people can not be in distress if drought starts to take its toll on them.
Shivakumar said there is no shortage of funds for drought management. He said the government has already allocated sufficient financial resources for relief and the operation to supply water supply, employment generation, fodder distribution to livestock and assistance to affected farmers.
He assured that the funds required would be released promptly upon district administration submitting proposals.
Agriculture is still one of the sectors that are most vulnerable to erratic monsoon patterns. The Deputy Chief Minister said the government is closely monitoring crop situations and keeping in constant touch with agriculture and revenue department officials.
Farmers who suffer crop losses will be helped with government assistance after proper assessment is done.
The state administration has also directed district authorities to make sure drinking water supply to both rural and urban areas is uninterrupted. There are also efforts to repair borewells, arrange water tankers, and monitor reservoir levels to prevent shortages of water in the dry season.
Apart from immediate relief measures, the Karnataka government also reaffirmed its commitment to long-term water conservation measures. Rainwater harvesting, rejuvenation of lakes, watershed development projects, and efficient irrigation techniques are going to be launched to ensure water security in regions with drought-affected communities.
The Deputy Chief Minister warned citizens not to panic and said the government knows how to handle such situations and has experience in dealing with them before. He said “The people should not panic the government has had experience with this kind of situation in the past. We have already begun to coordinate among different departments to take relief measures if rainfall is below normal in the case of a rain event and so coordination among various departments has already begun to take place in order to ensure that if we can implement relief measures immediately,” he said.
People in some parts of Karnataka are now seeing below-average rainfall in the next weeks and being prepared is a must for this to be the case, weather experts say.
The government has said periodic reviews will be conducted on the situation and that it will act early whenever required.
The assurance of sufficient funds will give farmers, rural communities, and local governments confidence that relief efforts won’t be compromised by lack of funds.
As the monsoon season progresses, the state will continue to protect livelihoods and water supply and minimize the impact of drought on the poorest and most vulnerable people, according to the State Department.
With the right plan in place, financial preparedness, and coordination of administrative work, Karnataka can handle any drought-related problems that could arise during this current season well.
