IMD predicts heavy rain in Karnataka for 3 days, issues orange, red alerts

Deficit rainfall

According to Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre data, the state has faced one of the worst monsoon seasons in recent years. Compared with deficits in earlier monsoon months, rainfall in September has been the lowest, adding to concerns.

The monsoon rainfall deficit in September is currently 67 per cent. Against a normal of 107 mm, the state has received only 35 mm to date. In June, the deficit was 42 per cent (116 mm against a normal of 199 mm), 29 per cent in July (192 mm against a normal of 271 mm), and 23 per cent in August (169 mm against a normal of 220 mm).

Poor monsoons also meant reservoir levels were well below those recorded in previous years. For instance, water storage at KRS reservoir was 27.76 TMC on September 21, compared to 47.73 TMC recorded on the same date last year.

Reservoirs in North Karnataka, however, were better off than dams in the South. Almatti, the largest dam in North Karnataka, had 115 thousand million cubic feet of water, compared to 123 TMC, its full capacity, last year.