Prepare for possible drought, drinking water crisis, minister tells officials

Minister for Medical Education and Minister-in-Charge Koppal Sharan Prakash Patil presided over a review meeting on natural disaster preparedness at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Koppal on Friday. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

With the district witnessing an extended dry spell and signs of deficient monsoon, Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash R. Patil, who is also the minister in-charge of Koppal district, on Friday directed officials to remain fully prepared to deal with any drought-like situations and ensure that drinking water needs are met on priority.

Dr. Patil, who chaired a review meeting on natural disaster management at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Koppal, said that contingency plans should be made immediately to address possible drinking water shortages and generate employment if agricultural activities are affected by insufficient rainfall.

“If the deficit rainfall continues, agricultural operations will decline, so it is imperative to create employment opportunities under the rural employment scheme. Gram Panchayats should prepare action plans in advance and job cards should be issued to all eligible beneficiaries,” he said.

The minister directed officials of the Department of Agriculture to launch an intensive awareness campaign to ensure that all eligible farmers enroll in the crop insurance scheme. He also directed the district administration to maintain adequate stock of seeds and fertilizers as per farmers’ requirements and keep a close eye on private sellers.

Officials have been asked to initiate strict action against traders found selling seeds or fertilizers above prescribed rates, marketing substandard or adulterated inputs or creating artificial shortage. It has also been ordered to ensure that stock availability and price lists are prominently displayed at all retail outlets.

Dr. Patil said the delayed monsoon has already affected sowing and could lead to acute shortage of drinking water if the situation persists. He directed the officials to utilize the available government funds to ensure uninterrupted supply of drinking water by hiring private borewells, deploying water tankers or drilling new boreholes whenever necessary.

After reviewing the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ rolls, the minister directed the officials to complete the exercise as per the schedule of the Election Commission. He stressed that enumeration forms should be distributed and collected from all eligible voters, while deceased and migrated voters should be identified. He also asked officials to set up a help desk in every Gram Panchayat and ward to address public queries and complaints related to the revision process.

Karnataka Legislative Assembly Leader (Opposition) and Kushtagi MLA Doddanagouda H. Patil has highlighted the shortage of drinking water in Kushtagi taluk and interruption of water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also worked to improve bus service for students and the public.

Basavaraj Rayareddi of Yelburga MLA highlighted drinking water problems in Yelburga and Kukanoor taluks and the slow pace of sowing. He suggested setting up a district-level team headed by an additional deputy commissioner to go through all the taluks, assess the rainfall situation, sowing progress and availability of drinking water and submit a comprehensive report.

Deputy Commissioner Suresh B. Itnal informed the gathering that the district administration is ready to handle any natural calamity. He said compensation was paid in cases of loss of human life, suicide of farmers, death of 39 livestock and damage to 44 houses due to rain. He also assured the minister that there is no shortage of funds for the supply of drinking water.

Joint Director of Agriculture GD Krishnamurthy said Koppal district has received 31% less rainfall than normal so far. Against the Kharif target of 3,49,892 hectares of sowing, only 1,63,546 hectares or 47% were covered. He said that 3,203 applications have been received under Karnataka Raitha Suraksha Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana and registration of farmers is going on. Of the 64,950 tonnes of fertilizer available for the season, 36,954 tonnes have been sold, leaving a balance stock of 27,996 tonnes as of Thursday.

Zilla Panchayat CEO Varnit Negi, Additional Deputy Commissioner Sidrameshwar, Sub Divisional Officer Mohammed Jeelan and district and taluk level officers from various departments attended the meeting.

Published – 03 Jul 2026 20:13 IST