Kodagu district had so far recorded below normal rainfall compared to previous years, said Minister P. M. Narendraswamy.
The newly-appointed Minister, who had been directed by Karnataka’s Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar to visit Kodagu district to study natural calamities, however, expressed optimism of the region receiving good rainfall during August.
Kodagu district is considered to be the primary catchment for KRS reservoir, which is the lifeline for Mysuru and Mandya districts, providing irrigation to thousands of acres of farmland and drinking water for the region, including Bengaluru.
After holding a review meeting with officials at the Zilla Panchayat Hall in Madikeri on August 5, Mr. Narendraswamy said he would submit a detailed report on the rainfall in Kodagu district so far, water level in Harangi reservoir, the prevailing crop situation, and other related issues to the government of Karnataka shortly.
He said agricultural activities in several parts of the district had been affected owing to delayed onset of southwest monsoon and inadequate rainfall.
However, he expressed optimism that good rainfall during August would enable paddy transplantation and other farming operations to progress.
Deputy Commissioner of Kodagu S.J. Somashekar, who attended the meeting, said the district had recorded a 37% rainfall deficit compared to the corresponding period last year. While Shanthalli, Kushalnagar and Hudikeri had received above-normal rainfall, the rest of the district continued to experience a shortfall.
He said Kodagu normally receives 859 mm of rainfall during July, but this year only 599 mm had been recorded.
To deal with natural calamities, district- and taluk-level control rooms had been established, and 20 nodal officers appointed across hoblis and local bodies, Mr. Somashekar said.
The Minister, meanwhile, said that roads under the jurisdiction of local bodies, the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Panchayat Raj Department had developed potholes due to the rains, and the government would be requested to release funds for repair work.
He directed officials to invite tenders without delay for road repairs, remain stationed at their headquarters, discharge their duties effectively, and respond promptly to public grievances.
Mr. Narendraswamy assured that the government would extend all necessary assistance to tackle both flood and drought situations, and asked officials to work in line with the government’s directives.
Acting on the instructions of the Chief Minister, the Minister said he had inspected the Harangi reservoir, agricultural and horticultural crops, and a goshala (cattle shelter), besides holding the review meeting.
Madikeri MLA Dr. Manthar Gowda said the district had received good rainfall over the past week, resulting in damage to roads.
He expressed displeasure that, despite sufficient time, tenders had not yet been finalised and repair work had not commenced, questioning how people could travel under such conditions. He instructed engineers to immediately take up pothole-filling work.
Joint Director of the Agriculture Department Chandrashekhar said the district had targeted sowing paddy and maize over 19,000 hectares, of which only 2,800 hectares had been covered so far. Paddy transplantation is expected to continue until the end of August.
He noted that while paddy had earlier been cultivated over nearly 30,000 hectares, the acreage had been declining steadily over the years. During the previous monsoon, more than 38% of the paddy transplantation target had been achieved, whereas only 8% had been completed so far this season.
Deputy Director of Horticulture Shashidhar briefed the meeting on pepper, arecanut and orange cultivation in the district, explaining that the lack of timely rainfall had affected the growth of the pepper crop.
Published - August 06, 2026 11:23 am IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
