Summary:
“We’re not saying drinking water needs are unimportant, it’s just that there needs to be a way to manage water for both drinking and irrigation purposes. With the government not releasing water from any of the dams for agriculture, how will farmers sow,” asked Chamarasa Malipatil, a farmer leader from north Karnataka.Although the water level in dams is comfortable, the government has secured it to manage drinking water needs till June, when the next monsoon is expected. BENGALURU: Karnataka , which has already seen poor kharif and rabi crops, appears to be heading towards a below par summer crop, thanks to soaring temperature. Overall, sowing should have taken place in two lakh hectares of the targeted 5.4 lakh hectares in the state, but seeds have been sown only in 0.4 lakh hectares.“Unlike kharif or rabi, the summer crop is completely dependent on irrigation and borewells. Since both the southwest and northeast monsoons failed, the groundwater has not recharged and more than 80% of our borewells have dried up..