Karanataka encounters worst drought. No rain in south interiors nor in Malnad region.
Cloudy skies, but no rain; state gropes in the dark
Bangalore: Blame extended hours of unscheduled power cuts on paucity of rain and snags in the state’s major thermal power stations.
Concerned by the dual crisis, the government has quietly asked all Escoms (electricity supply companies) to go ahead with unscheduled load-shedding till the situation improves.
“Things are turning from bad to worse. Last week has pushed the state deeper into the red in terms of rainfall,” agriculture minister S A Ravindranath said.
The state received areaweighted-average rainfall of only 1.46 cm during the week that ended on Sunday, against the normal 19.87 cm, according to the agriculture department’s latest weekly rainfall update. Deficiency for the week is a staggering 95%, making it the driest first week of August in recent history.
MORE BAD NEWS Rains will continue to elude most parts of Karnataka for some time. Though the meteorological department has predicted cloudy sky in many parts of the state, it has not forecast rainfall anywhere.
So far, most districts in North Karnataka and the coastal belt have received good rain. Of the 30 districts, five have received below normal and deficit rainfall.
What’s worrying is that catchment areas of three major hydel reservoirs — Linganamakki, Supa and Mani — have received deficient rainfall, while Raichur and Bellary thermal power plants are not generating to full capacity due to snags, depriving the state of at least 500 MW of power.
Cities like Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad are facing 2 to 3-hour power cuts and rural areas five to eight hours.
FARMING HIT The abrupt lull in monsoon is also threatening crops, especially paddy cultivation in over 1.5 lakh hectares in the state, officials said. Last year, cultivation covered 3.5 lakh hectares, and in all likelihood, it is going to be much less this season. “If monsoon continues to elude the state for one or two more weeks, the output will be just 25 per cent of the estimated,” said Raghavendra, senior agriculture officer.
Karanataka encounters worst drought. No rain in south interiors nor in Malnad region.
ReplyDeleteCloudy skies, but no rain; state gropes in the dark
Bangalore: Blame extended hours of unscheduled power cuts on paucity of rain and snags in the state’s major thermal power stations.
Concerned by the dual crisis, the government has quietly asked all Escoms (electricity supply companies) to go ahead with unscheduled load-shedding till the situation improves.
“Things are turning from bad to worse. Last week has pushed the state deeper into the red in terms of rainfall,” agriculture minister S A Ravindranath said.
The state received areaweighted-average rainfall of only 1.46 cm during the week that ended on Sunday, against the normal 19.87 cm, according to the agriculture department’s latest weekly rainfall update. Deficiency for the week is a staggering 95%, making it the driest first week of August in recent history.
MORE BAD NEWS
Rains will continue to elude most parts of Karnataka for some time. Though the meteorological department has predicted cloudy sky in many parts of the state, it has not forecast rainfall anywhere.
So far, most districts in North Karnataka and the coastal belt have received good rain. Of the 30 districts, five have received below normal and deficit rainfall.
What’s worrying is that catchment areas of three major hydel reservoirs — Linganamakki, Supa and Mani — have received deficient rainfall, while Raichur and Bellary thermal power plants are not generating to full capacity due to snags, depriving the state of at least 500 MW of power.
Cities like Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad are facing 2 to 3-hour power cuts and rural areas five to eight hours.
FARMING HIT
The abrupt lull in monsoon is also threatening crops, especially paddy cultivation in over 1.5 lakh hectares in the state, officials said. Last year, cultivation covered 3.5 lakh hectares, and in all likelihood, it is going to be much less this season. “If monsoon continues to elude the state for one or two more weeks, the output will be just 25 per cent of the estimated,” said Raghavendra, senior agriculture officer.