Lack of rain in district, fear of water scarcity

CH NEWS, UDUPI Farmers say that the inflow into the rivers is already decreasing compared to last year. Municipal sources say that the inflow into the Baje Dam, which supplies drinking water to Udupi city, has also decreased this year compared to last year. People have urged those concerned to take precautionary measures now, as there is a possibility of severe water scarcity this summer if the monsoon rains do not fall adequately. They also urged that preparations should be made now to supply water via tankers to villages that may face drinking water problems. The work of installing planks for Kindi dams, which help replenish groundwater in rural areas, is already in full swing to address the drinking water problem. The construction of the bund at Baje Dam has also been completed two months in advance.
This time, the weather was sunny in June and July, and it rained in the first two weeks of August. After that, the weather continued to be sunny again. Farmers are expressing hope that moderate rainfall has been falling across the district for the past few days, and if the monsoon rains continue well, the inflow into the rivers may increase again. This time, the intensity of the heat increased in the month of September itself. The maximum temperature was recorded at 34 degrees Celsius on September 21. Due to the increased heat in the month of September, rice cultivation was also a problem. Farmers say that the yield is likely to drop due to the heat hitting the rice during the ripening period. Zilla Panchayat sources have said that there is a possibility of drinking water problem in 123 villages in district from November 2026 to May 2027. Fillers have already been installed on 50 percent of the Kindi dams under the Minor Irrigation Department, said Engineer Arun Bhandari, Assistant Executive Officer of the Minor Irrigation Department. There are 691 Kindi dams under the Minor Irrigation Department in the district. If there is heavy rain after installing the boards, some farmers insist on removing the boards again. Then there will be a problem, he said.