Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister Calls for Immediate Focus on Drinking Water as Drought Worsens Across the State

Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara spent Sunday confronting a stark reality: the state is in the throes of a severe drought, and people are running out of drinking water. In a video‑conference held at Vidhana Soudha, he gathered Deputy Commissioners, CEOs of Zilla Panchayats and other senior officials to map out what‑if scenarios and, more importantly, to chart immediate actions.

“We are seeing a 68 percent rainfall deficit across the state, with some pockets barely managing 48 percent,” Parameshwara warned, his tone urgent yet measured. “Groundwater has receded in 88 taluks, reservoirs are at dangerously low levels, and the situation could get worse in the days ahead.”

He didn’t mince words when he turned to the issue that’s keeping villagers up at night – drinking water. “There is no drinking water,” he said, adding that an ever‑growing number of villages are now dependent on water tankers. “Supplying water from reservoirs for irrigation must stop. Drinking water must be the priority.”

To turn the rhetoric into reality, Parameshwara gave a concrete set of orders. First, every newly‑drilled borewell should get an electricity connection and a motor pump without delay. Second, the ₹329 crore sitting in the Deputy Commissioners’ PD accounts for drought relief must be spent wisely – no bureaucratic lag, no excuses.

Beyond water, the Deputy CM voiced worry over a silent exodus. Districts like Ballari, Kalaburagi, Raichur, Yadgir and Vijayanagar are seeing people pack up and move elsewhere in search of work. He urged officials to speed up the VBG Ramji employment scheme, noting that the program had not yet reached 2,443 of the roughly 5,000 gram panchayats. “Don’t let these families fall through the cracks,” he appealed.

On the agricultural front, Parameshwara asked for a shift in cropping patterns. Water‑intensive crops such as maize and sugarcane should be discouraged in the most drought‑hit taluks. Meanwhile, the Animal Husbandry Department received a direct order to safeguard livestock – from ensuring enough fodder to buying back fodder that farmers have already produced.

He also stressed that wildlife shouldn’t be forgotten. “Make sure the animals in our forests and reserves aren’t left thirsty either,” he said, underscoring a holistic view of water scarcity.

To keep the response dynamic, each district’s task force was told to meet weekly, review borewell drilling plans, and submit ground‑verification reports that could be sent to the Centre for additional relief. The Deputy CM referenced recent heartbreaking news – a farmer’s suicide in Tumakuru and arecanut plantations drying up – as a reminder that swift, compassionate action can save lives.

In short, Parameshwara’s message was clear: water is life, and every bureaucrat, from the top down, must act like a lifeline. As the state grapples with a harsh summer, the hope is that coordinated effort and focused spending will keep both people and wildlife from hitting the brink.