Southwest Monsoon rainfall in Karnataka is second lowest in 70 years and seventh lowest in 125 years

Against the normal rainfall of 852 mm during the SWM period from June to September, Karnataka received only 551 mm, a shortfall of 35%. | Photo credit: file photo

The rainfall Karnataka received during the South West Monsoon (SWM) is the second lowest in the last 70 years (after 1956) and the seventh lowest in the last 125 years (after 1901), data show, indicating the severity of the drought. 2002, which had the lowest SWM precipitation since 1956, fell only 10 mm less than 2026.

Compared to the normal rainfall of 852 mm for the SWM period from June to September, the state received only 551 mm of rainfall, a deficiency of 35%.

Concern has been raised that while the overall rainfall deficit is 35%, the actual shortfall is even higher in some regions. The cumulative rainfall deficit during the southwest monsoon is 41% for South Interior Karnataka, 42% for North Interior Karnataka, 38% for the Malnad region and 28% for the Coastal region. SWM was either deficient or predominantly deficient in 209 taluks out of the total 240 in the state.

The state has already declared 217 taluks as drought-hit as per Drought Center norms. This number is likely to increase as the ground truth exercise is underway in the remaining 23 taluks.

Repeated drought

Drought is not a new phenomenon for Karnataka which is right next to Rajasthan in terms of drought prone areas as 80% of its geographical area is drought prone. Since 2001, the state has been dealing with drought for 16 years. However, the current drought stands out for its severity and impact on people’s lives, especially on agriculture.

Unlike several other states, including Tamil Nadu, which can rely on the Northeast Monsoon (NEM), Karnataka is heavily dependent on the SWM, which is the mainstay of the state’s meteorological system and accounts for about 74% of the rainfall in a calendar year. NEM makes up just 16%. This means that the impact of drought will increase when water scarcity is expected to increase.

The agriculture sector has already taken a severe hit during the kharif season. While seed coverage in what is the state’s main agricultural season was hit due to poor rains, most of those who started sowing faced losses as crops wilted due to prolonged droughts.

Huge crop losses

Against the target of 84.1 lakh hectares, only 69.57 lakh hectares were sown in the state during the kharif season, representing 83% coverage. Cereals in general and cereals in particular are crops that have seen less coverage in terms of sowing. Against the target of 37.6 million hectares, only 27.27 million hectares were sown to cereals, representing 73% coverage. Total food grain coverage was 76% as 46.21 million hectares were sown against the target of 60.45 million hectares.

Worse, a significant portion of the sown crops withered. The assessment alone in 101 taluks showed that crops were lost on 19.52 lakh hectares worth around ₹ 18,748.23 crore. The total crop losses in 201 taluks are estimated to be around ₹46,000 crore. These figures are likely to increase if crop losses in other taluks are taken into account.

While the state has already submitted two memoranda to the Center seeking help to overcome the crisis, agricultural experts and policymakers fear that food production may be severely affected this year.

Published – 7 Oct 2026 20:59 IST