Central team assesses drought situation in Saligrama taluk
A Central government team visited Gerdada and Arakere villages in Saligrama taluk of Mysuru district on Sunday to assess the ground situation arising from the ongoing drought. The delegation met district officials and interacted with residents to understand the extent of crop losses, dried-up water sources and drinking water shortages reported in the area.
Multi-department team on the ground
The visiting team comprised officials from multiple Union government departments: Sudham Beg, Deputy Commissioner, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; Ashish Pandey, Deputy Adviser, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation; Pradeep Kumar, Under Secretary, Department of Food and Civil Supplies; and Karan Chaudhary, Deputy Director, Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Briefing by district administration
Senior officials from the Mysuru district administration, including Additional Deputy Commissioner Aishwarya R. and Joint Director of Agriculture K.H. Ravi, briefed the Central team on the drought’s impact. They outlined how deficient rainfall has led to extensive crop damage, the drying up of lakes, and persistent drinking water challenges in affected parts of Saligrama taluk.
Field interactions and crop losses
Following their discussions with the district administration, the Central team engaged with villagers to gather first-hand accounts of conditions on the ground. Agriculture Department officials detailed the specific crop losses observed during the visit, noting damage to tobacco crops in Gerdada village and ragi crops in Arakere village.
Water scarcity concerns
According to officials, drought conditions have been compounded by local water bodies running dry, intensifying pressure on drinking water supply. The team was apprised of the status of lakes and the implications of depleted storage on both agriculture and daily household needs in the affected villages.
Assessment focus
The visit centred on compiling field-level inputs on the scale and nature of drought-related distress in Saligrama taluk. Insights gathered from officials and residents are intended to reflect the on-ground realities of rainfall deficit, crop damage and water scarcity across the surveyed locations.
The Central team’s engagement with local authorities and communities underscored a coordinated effort to understand the immediate challenges farmers and households are facing in Gerdada and Arakere, with particular attention to crop failure and access to drinking water amid depleted lakes.
