Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday, 26 June directed state officials to draw up district-level drought contingency plans and tighten inter-departmental coordination in anticipation of a possible Super El Nino weather event that could significantly disrupt rainfall across the state. The instructions were issued at a high-level disaster management review meeting chaired by Parameshwara at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.

What the Meeting Revealed

Officials briefed the Deputy Chief Minister on the current water stress situation across Karnataka. According to data presented at the meeting, 122 taluks are already facing drinking water shortages. Water is being supplied through tankers to 139 villages, while 789 private borewells have been hired to augment supply. An additional 669 villages are receiving drinking water from private borewells.

The meeting covered rainfall deficiency, drinking water availability, fodder supply for livestock, agricultural management, and broader drought-related concerns — signalling that the state is treating the El Nino risk as a multi-sector challenge, not merely a water-supply problem.

Key Directives Issued

Parameshwara instructed officials to prepare district-wise action plans covering drinking water supply, fodder availability for livestock, agricultural management, and water conservation. He also directed that all Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats receive clear guidelines to ensure grassroots-level preparedness.

The Deputy Chief Minister stressed continuous monitoring of reservoir storage levels, groundwater conditions, and water consumption patterns to enable timely intervention. He further directed officials to expedite approvals for drilling borewells, instructing that no delays be permitted in granting permissions.

'The government must be fully prepared to respond to any natural disaster or drought situation. All concerned departments should work in close coordination and take swift action to ensure that the public does not face hardship,' Parameshwara said at the meeting.

The Super El Nino Concern

Global climate variations linked to a possible Super El Nino could significantly affect rainfall patterns across Karnataka, potentially triggering water scarcity and drought conditions in several regions, according to Parameshwara. He emphasised the need for advance planning to minimise the impact on agriculture and the general public.

This comes amid broader national concern over the 2024 monsoon outlook, with meteorologists flagging El Nino as a key variable that could suppress rainfall across large parts of peninsular India. Karnataka, which depends heavily on monsoon rains for both drinking water reservoirs and Kharif crop irrigation, is among the states most exposed to such a disruption.

Officials Present and Next Steps

Senior IAS officials, including Manoj Kumar Meena and Mullai Muhilan, attended the review meeting. Officials indicated that efforts are underway to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply and to mitigate the impact of any worsening drought conditions in the coming months.

Departments have been directed to work closely with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department to address localised needs. The next phase of preparedness will hinge on how quickly district-level action plans are finalised and whether borewell drilling approvals are fast-tracked before the monsoon deficit deepens.