Dams full due to excess rain in May; June has been dry

Bengaluru: Although Karnataka has had good monsoon rain this year with major reservoirs brimming, 19 districts suffered an unexpected dry spell in June, defying forecasts of an overly wet season. However, officials suggest the deficit will not disrupt sowing activities and are breathing easy since more rain has been predicted in the months ahead.

Contrary to predictions of an excessively wet June, the state saw uneven rainfall distribution in 19 of the total 31 districts. While overall rainfall remained technically "normal" with a 2% surplus over the average 119.4mm, the pattern masked wide regional disparities. The south interior region, especially the Cauvery basin, faced a 24% deficit, making it the worst-affected zone.

Kolar stood out as the driest district, recording a staggering 60% deficit. It was among 19 districts classified under the red category, where rainfall deficits ranged from 20% to 60%. On the brighter side, 11 districts in the Malnad and coastal belts recorded normal rainfall, with the coastal region just 6% short of the mark.

Ironically, while skies remained stingy in several parts, the state's major reservoirs — like KRS in Mandya —were filled to the brim by the end of June, marking an unusual and historic occurrence.

"There are two major reasons for dams brimming in June despite sporadic rain," experts tracking inflows said. "First, storage level was more than 60% even before pre-monsoon rain fell because of excessive rain last year. Second, May saw 199% excess rain. These factors resulted in good inflow into dams in May, even before the onset of the monsoon."

Between Jan and May, Karnataka saw 54% excess rainfall over the usual 319mm, with May alone receiving 119% more than average. This pre-monsoon bounty is now cushioning the blow from June's lull.

Adding to the optimism, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast 19% above-normal rainfall for the rest of the southwest monsoon season (July–Sept), with Kolar, Chikkaballapur, and Bengaluru Rural being exceptions. These districts may see slightly below-normal showers.

"What is heartening is that the rainfall pattern so far is normal since a dry spell was forecast for June," said MN Thimme Gowda, professor and head of agro-meteorology, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK. "More encouragingly, a better monsoon is predicted in the coming months. So, there is no cause for concern this year."

The positive outlook has bolstered confidence within the agriculture department, which has set an ambitious target of sowing 82.5 lakh hectares during the kharif season (June to Sept). Nearly 53% of this target has already been achieved.

"The current southwest monsoon season (June-Oct) has been good," said agriculture minister N Cheluvarayaswamy. "We have ensured required stock of seeds (6 lakh quintals) and fertiliser (11 lakh tonnes). Agricultural activities have been brisk, and we hope there will be record food production this kharif."