States » SouthPosted at: Sep 17 2026 8:04PM


Drought assessment widens to 53 more Karnataka taluks

Bengaluru, Sept 17 (UNI) Karnataka's drought assessment is far from over, with the state government on Thursday ordering ground-level verification in another 53 taluks across 17 districts even as it formally declared 23 more taluks drought-affected, taking the notified tally to 124.
The latest exercise means the State's drought map remains fluid, with the government continuing to assess taluks that have not yet received an official drought declaration.
The 53 taluks have qualified for the third-stage ground-truthing after the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) assessed rainfall, soil moisture, crop conditions and other drought indicators.
Importantly, inclusion in the 53-taluks exercise does not by itself amount to a drought declaration. Field verification of crop losses will determine whether individual taluks qualify for formal notification under the prescribed drought assessment norms.
The latest round also brings parts of the Bengaluru region into the drought assessment, with Bengaluru South and Doddaballapur among the 53 taluks selected for ground-truthing.
Officials will conduct the field exercise on September 19 and 20 using the 'Crop Loss GT' mobile application. The exercise will capture crop details, extent of damage, geo-tagged photographs, GPS coordinates and land particulars before the reports are submitted on September 21.
The process follows the government's first-stage exercise, under which 101 taluks were declared drought-affected on August 27. A subsequent assessment led to another set of taluks being taken up for ground verification.
The latest 53-taluks exercise therefore marks another expansion of the drought assessment rather than the end of the process. The government has said the KSNDMC will continue weekly monitoring through the Kharif season and that further taluks could enter subsequent rounds if they meet the prescribed criteria.
Separately, the government on Thursday notified 23 additional taluks as drought-affected, of which 21 were classified as severely affected and two as moderately affected, taking the officially notified total to 124.
With September rainfall forecast to remain below normal, Karnataka's drought map could undergo further expansion in the weeks ahead.
UNI BDN
Tags: #Drought assessment widens to 53 more Karnataka taluks
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