Karnataka rivers in spate after record monsoon rains
Bengaluru, July 23 : Rivers in Karnataka are in spate following record southwest monsoon rains over the last seven weeks, inundating low-lying areas, submerging road bridges and flooding farmlands, said an official on Monday.
"Heavy monsoon rains over coastal and Malnad regions since June have led to the reservoirs filling to their maximum levels and flooding the low-lying areas," Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) Director G.S. Srinivasa Reddy told IANS here.
Major reservoirs in the Cauvery basin like the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) in Mandya district, Kabini reservoir in Mysuru district across Kabini river, one of the major tributaries of Cauvery, and others have received water to their maximum capacity.
"With good rains in the catchment areas, the reservoirs are in a good condition. The state will not have the fear of facing a hydrological drought (due to low water supply in reservoirs or ground levels)," Reddy added.
Even as the state has received a 13 per cent excess monsoon rainfall till date since June 4 when the southwest monsoon set in over Karnataka, the distribution of rainfall has been uneven with south interior and northern districts continuing to face a rainfall deficit.
The southern districts of Chamarajanagar and Chikkaballapura and the northern districts of Ballari, Haveri, Vijayapura and Yadgir face a shortage of rainfall, according to the data from India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Bengaluru centre.
If the state does not receive good rains in August, nearly 50 per cent of Karnataka will have to face a drought as the rain-fed crops will not have enough water to grow, Reddy said.
"The KSNDMC has been receiving calls from several farmers in the south interior and northern districts that their crops are reaching a wilting stage. A large part of the state could see a drought without good rains ahead," he added.
With the state's reservoirs receiving water more than their capacity, Karnataka has been diverting the excess water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu for the past few weeks.
Happy over the excess rains filling the reservoirs, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who performed religious rituals and offered prayers at the KRS reservoir last week, said: "Good rain is nature's solution to Cauvery issue."
The apex court on February 16 increased Karnataka's share of water by 14.75 tmc (thousand million cubic feet) to 284.75 from 270 tmc and lowered Tamil Nadu's share to 404.25 tmc from 419 tmc.
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Surjewala slams Pratap Simha’s ‘vile’ remarks on CM Siddaramaiah, demands apology from BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
