“The State government will explore the idea of declaring an interim drought, till the Union government announces it. We will appeal to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar to address the issue and he will take the final decision in the matter,” Minister Satish Jarkiholi said in Yaragatti of Belagavi district on Sunday.

“If there is no rainfall in the coming days, the drought situation may spread to other taluks. The State government is considering providing temporary relief and will decide what kind of assistance can be provided,” he said.

Officials are monitoring the drought situation in three taluks in Belagavi district. "Around 95% of the sowing work has been completed in the district. But officers are saying that erratic rainfall has affected the health of the crops. Crops on at least 65,000 hectares have suffered damage. There is also the possibility of further crop damage,” he said.

A report will be submitted to the State government after 10 days following another survey, he said. A cumulative report will be submitted to the Centre later.

The Minister later chaired an Irrigation Consultative Committee meeting for the Malaprabha reservoir. A decision on releasing water for crops will be taken keeping in mind the fact that water needs to be preserved for drinking purposes until next July.

Published - August 16, 2026 08:52 pm IST