With 35% monsoon deficit, Karnataka stares at worst drought in 150 years

MYSURU: Karnataka has recorded its worst southwest monsoon rainfall deficit in 55 years, with rainfall from June 1 to Sept 30 falling 35% below normal, according to data from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC). The deficit is the lowest recorded since 1971, surpassing the previous low of 33% in 2002, said G Srinivasa Reddy, former director of KSNDMC.The state received just 551 mm of rainfall against the normal 852 mm during the four-month monsoon season. While rainfall improved in July and August, September saw a sharp reversal, with the state recording a 54% deficit during the month, pushing the seasonal deficit to 35%.Of the 31 revenue districts, Mysuru was the worst affected, with a 59% deficit, followed by Vijayanagara at 57%. Only Bengaluru South recorded rainfall within the normal range, with a deficit of 18%.Usually, rainfall ranging between +19% and -19% is considered to be normal.According to KSNDMC data, in June 2026, the state recorded -42% deficit rainfall, which improved to -29% in July. In Aug, due to further improvement in rainfall, the deficit fell to -23%. However, with weak monsoon in Sept, the state recorded -54% deficit rainfall during the month, bringing the deficit for the June-Sept period to -35%.Meanwhile, Mysuru is the worst-affected district in the entire state with -59% deficit rainfall. According to data, against normal rainfall of 419 mm, Mysuru received just 172 mm from June to Sept.Vijayanagara is the second worst-affected district with -57% deficit rainfall.According to KSNDMC data, among the 31 districts, only Bengaluru South recorded a normal rainfall deficit of -18%.North interior Karnataka is the worst affected with -42% deficit rainfall, followed by south interior Karnataka, which recorded -41% deficit rainfall.Malnad region, comprising the four districts of Kodagu, Shivamogga, Hassan, and Chikkamagaluru recorded -38% deficit rainfall. The coastal region recorded -28% deficit rainfall.With inflow to dams falling, live storage in the four major dams of Cauvery basin fell to 52% of gross capacity. The combined gross capacity of Kabini, Hemavati, KRS, and Harangi is currently 114.6 TMC. However, on Wednesday, the available water was just 59.1 TMC. Inflow to KRS dam stood at just 492 cusecs.According to Reddy, even though SW monsoon withdrawal has reached Gujarat, in Karnataka, it may require another 8-10 days. He added that with the Cauvery basin’s upper catchment areas witnessing drought, the reservoirs did not record any significant inflow.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mysuru | Silver Rate in Mysuru | Bank Holidays in Mysuru | Public Holidays in MysuruStay updated with the latest Mysuru news. Download the TOI App.