Farmers are a worried lot with Belagavi district receiving scarce rainfall. The district is facing an average scarcity of around 15%, while scarcity in some parts of the district is as high as 65%-77%.
The district gets an average of around 1,600 mm of rainfall in a year, with most of it being recorded in June and July. Generally, the aggregated average rainfall of Belagavi district in June is 1,237 mm. However, this June, rainfall has been delayed and scarce. Rain gauges in 14 the taluks of the district have recorded only 1,057 mm of rainfall, a reduction of around 15%.
Rainfall has also been erratic. Seven taluks have received below average rainfall, while the other seven have received above average rainfall.
While Kagwad has recorded 77% scarcity, Kittur has received 542% rainfall in excess.
Among the scarcity taluks, Khanapur received 65% less rainfall, Belagavi 60%, Athani 58% and Hukkeri 49% rainfall.
Among the taluks that have received rainfall in excess, Ramdurg has recorded 77% in excess, Raibag 48%, Gokak 37%, Nippani 32%, Chikkodi 30% and Bailhongal 25% more than usual.
“Farmers say that this will damage crops. A large number of farmers have sown wheat and other grains and are waiting for rain. But if scarcity continues, we will all suffer,’’ said Sidagouda Modagi, Krishik Samaj leader.
“In the last three years, farmers in Belagavi and Bagalkot districts were hit by flooding and heavy rainfall. Now, we are faced with low rainfall. It is an unfortunate cycle,’’ he said.
11 lakh hectares
Agriculture Department officers say that of the 14 lakh hectares of land in the district, around 11 lakh hectares are under cultivation in the kharif season. Most of it is covered under foodgrains such as wheat and rice. Apart from crops such as maize, soya, tur and vegetables, there are some millets, including niger and savi, say officers. However, the forecast is that rainfall will increase significantly starting Wednesday, an agriculture officer said.
Belagavi is part of the catchment area of the Krishna and its five tributaries of the Maharashtra-Karnataka plains.
Low rainfall here affects not only Belagavi district but also other parts of North Karnataka, say officials.
“It affects the entire North Karnataka region as inflow into the Malaprabha and the Krishna will be reduced significantly,” said a senior officer from the Irrigation Department.
Slow moving rainwater takes around 24 hours to travel around 10 km. The speed increases with intensity of rainfall. If intensity does not pick up in the next two weeks, the natural flow in the Krishna and its tributaries will be lesser than normal, the officer said. This can affect works, including filling of tanks and kharif release into secondary and tertiary channels, the engineer said.
