The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : 15 districts receive deficient rainfall

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Friday, Aug 08, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

15 districts receive deficient rainfall

Special Correspondent

Sowing taken up in 55 p.c. of targeted area

State receives 386 mm of rainfall against the normal 503 mm
Only three districts receive excessive rainfall

BANGALORE: Deficient and scanty rainfall in 15 districts in the State over the past week has caused anxiety among farmers.

From June 1 to August 5, the State received 386 mm of rainfall against the normal 503 mm marking a departure of 23 per cent. Sowing had taken place on 40.9 lakh hectares of land, covering 55 per cent of the target area of 74 lakh hectares.

Rainfall was deficit in Bangalore Rural, Kolar, Tumkur, Ramanagara, Udupi, Bellary, Koppal, Bagalkot, Bijapur, and Uttara Kannada districts. It was scanty in Chikkaballapur, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Raichur and Gadag districts and scattered and less than normal in Bangalore and Mysore divisions, according to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.

Rainfall was excess only in Kodagu, Bidar and Belgaum and normal in Bangalore Urban, Chitradurga, Davangere, Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Dakshina Kannada, Hassan, Mysore, Gulbarga, Haveri and Dharwad. Of the 176 taluks, rainfall was excess in 30 taluks, deficient in 57, scanty in 43 from July 30 to August 5.

However, official sources said the State is expected to get good rain by the weekend following low pressure in the Bay of Bengal. Gulbarga and Belgaum districts have been receiving rains for the last couple of days.

Water levels

The water level at Lingamakki, Supa and Varahi hydel reservoirs has increased in the last eight days. But the levels at Lingamakki, Supa, Varahi, KRS, Tungabhandra, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha reservoirs are less compared with the corresponding period of the last 10 years.

As on August 5, the level at Linganamakki reservoir was less by 10.87 feet compared with 10 years average level and less by 32.75 ft compared with the corresponding period of previous year level. The reservoir has 35.7 per cent of the total storage capacity.

The level at Supa was less by 19.06 ft compared to 10 years average level and less by 52.81 ft compared with the corresponding period of previous year level.

The reservoir has storage of 27 per cent of the total capacity.

At Varahi, the level was less by 8.73 feet compared with 10 years average level and less by 26.24 ft compared with the corresponding period of previous year level.

The levels in KRS, Kabini, Harangi, and Hemavathi reservoirs, have increased in the past eight days. The level in KRS increased by 9.70 ft in the past eight days.

The water levels in the Bhadra, Ghataprabha, Malaprabha, Tungabhadra, Alamatti and Narayanapura reservoirs in the Krishna Basin, has also increased.

Sowing

Sowing was taken up in less than 50 per cent of the targeted area in the districts of Bijapur (7 per cent), Gulbarga (30 per cent), Bangalore Urban (32 per cent), Ramangara (47 per cent), Hassan (44 per cent), Bagalkot (49 per cent), Raichur (37 per cent) and Koppal (48 per cent) as on August 6, according to officials in the Agriculture Department.

Owing to erratic rainfall, the stem borer pest has affected the standing maize crop in Davangere, Haveri and Dharwad districts and boll worm for cotton in Mysore and rust for sunflower in Chitradurga district, the official said.

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