Bengaluru, 5 March

As Karnataka is facing an acute water crisis due to severe drought, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced setting up control rooms at taluk level and helpline numbers.

Briefing reporters after a meeting with the principal secretaries and deputy commissioners in the districts, he said task forces headed by the local MLAs have been constituted to tackle drought in the state. "There will be district and taluk level control rooms to face water crisis. A helpline will be created. The State government will take up all the measures to tackle the water crisis and will ensure that there is no shortage of funds," Siddaramaiah said.

According to him, out of 236 taluks, about 223 of them have been drought hit, including 219 severely affected. "We had called the principal secretaries and deputy commissioners and directed them that there should not be any drinking water crisis. We will give as much money as possible to provide drinking water. The deputy commissioners of the districts have a fund of Rs 854 crore of which Rs 130 crore is with the Tahsildars," the chief minister said.

The task forces at Taluk level will ensure drinking water, fodder for cattle and jobs for people there. Till now, these task forces have convened 646 meetings at Taluk level, Siddaramaiah said, adding, 20 drought management authorities in the state had 307 meetings till now.

The chief minister said there is a drinking water crisis in about 412 Panchayats in 98 Taluks and water is being supplied through 204 water tankers in 175 villages. In 500 Gram Panchayats, water is being supplied through 596 private borewells. In Bengaluru city, 120 municipal tankers and 232 water board tankers are supplying water.

Siddaramaiah said local administration will take control over private borewells and agreements will be made with them and money will be paid accordingly. He also said Rs 70 crore has been released to drill new borewells with the permission of Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat chief executive officers. An instant relief amount of Rs 2,000 has been paid to each of the 33.25 lakh farmers, which has cost the state government Rs 631 crore, he said.