Karnataka Declares 23 More Taluks Drought-Affected; 21 Classified As Severe, Total Rises To 124

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has declared 23 additional taluks drought-affected for the Kharif 2026 season after a scientific assessment and ground-truthing exercise, taking the number of drought-declared taluks in the state to 124.

Of the 23 newly declared taluks, 21 have been classified as severely drought-affected and two as moderately drought-affected, according to Government Order No. RD 586 TNR 2026 (Part-1), dated September 17. The declaration takes effect immediately and will remain in force for six months unless revoked earlier by the state government.

The latest declaration follows the first drought notification issued on August 27, under which 101 taluks were declared drought-affected based on integrated drought assessment and ground-truthing. Of those, 89 were classified as severely affected and 12 as moderately affected.

With the addition of 23 taluks, Karnataka now has 124 drought-declared taluks. Based on the two notifications, 110 are classified as severely drought-affected and 14 as moderately drought-affected.

Karnataka Declares 23 More Taluks Drought-Affected; 21 Classified as Severe, Total Rises to 124 Download

The government order said the dry spell had continued and the drought situation had deteriorated further. The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) consequently carried out a scientific assessment of drought parameters prescribed under the Manual for Drought Management, 2020, covering the remaining 139 taluks for the period from June 1 to September 2.

The assessment was placed before the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Natural Disasters chaired by the Deputy Chief Minister. Based on the KSNDMC Integrated Drought Assessment, 24 taluks qualified for Stage-3 Ground Truthing.

Ground Truthing was subsequently carried out using a mobile application and covered 214 villages across the 24 taluks. The findings were incorporated into the integrated assessment, following the three-stage methodology comprising mandatory indicators, impact indicators and ground verification. Of the 24 taluks assessed on the ground, 23 ultimately qualified for drought declaration.

The 21 taluks classified as severely drought-affected are Tiptur in Tumakuru district; Karatagi in Koppal; Manvi, Sindhanur and Sirivara in Raichur; Afzalpur, Aland, Chittapur, Kalaburagi, Yadrami and Shahabad in Kalaburagi district; Bhalki in Bidar; Basavanabagevadi, Babaleshwara and Tikota in Vijayapura; Ratteehalli in Haveri; Hubballi, Navalgund, Hubballi Nagara and Annigeri in Dharwad; and Kadur in Chikkamagaluru.

The two taluks classified as moderately drought-affected are Ponnampete and Virajpet in Kodagu district. The complete district-wise list and severity classification are contained in the annexure on page 3 of the September 17 government order.

The government has authorised Deputy Commissioners, in their capacity as chairpersons of the District Disaster Management Authorities of the declared taluks, to undertake necessary drought relief and response measures in accordance with prevailing State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) items and norms of assistance.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Director of Horticulture and the Deputy Commissioners concerned have also been directed to jointly survey crop losses in the drought-affected taluks and submit assessment reports to the government in the prescribed format without delay.

The government has indicated that the drought list could expand further during the Kharif season.

KSNDMC has been directed to continue weekly assessments of drought conditions until the end of Kharif 2026 because of the possibility of further deterioration in crop conditions, particularly in view of the below-normal rainfall forecast for September.

Additional taluks will be notified as drought-affected from time to time if they qualify under the prescribed assessment process and Ground Truthing requirements, the order said.

The September 17 order was issued by Manoj Kumar Meena, Relief Commissioner and Secretary to the Government, Revenue Department (Disaster Management, SSP and S&R), by order and in the name of the Governor of Karnataka.