Koppal: As the southwest monsoon remains stalled, farmers across Koppal district are being forced to take desperate measures. With no significant rainfall over the past 13 to 15 days, fields expected to flourish are drying up, pushing the agrarian region into a deepening crisis.In a bid to save standing crops, many farmers have started hiring private water tankers to irrigate their parched fields.The season had begun on a promising note. By the end of June, the district recorded 161.6mm of rainfall against the normal 157mm, registering a surplus of 3%.Encouraged by the early showers, farmers completed sowing on nearly 1.6 lakh hectares, around 47% of the district’s target of over 3.4 lakh hectares. Green gram and maize were among the crops sown early, but the prolonged dry spell that followed has exhausted soil moisture.The impact has been severe. Thousands of acres of sown seeds have failed to germinate, while crops that emerged are now wilting under intense heat.“I sowed green gram on eight acres and am now irrigating the crop using private tankers,” said Veeranagouda Police Patil, a farmer from Gumagera in Kushtagi taluk. “The cost is high, but if the crop survives, our livelihood survives,” he added.In Kukanur taluk, farmer Vamanagouda is battling a similar crisis. After investing Rs 79,000 in seeds, fertilisers and labour for his six-acre castor crop, he is now spending more on tanker water and sprinkler irrigation to keep the plants alive.The use of water tankers, usually meant for domestic supply or construction activities, underscores the severity of the drought-like conditions. For farmers already burdened by loans taken for agricultural inputs, the added expense is proving crippling.Many farmers said they had little choice, as agriculture remains their sole source of income. Though forecasts had indicated below-normal rainfall, leaving land uncultivated was not an option.As conditions worsen, the farming community is urging the district administration to intervene. “We demand an immediate crop-loss survey and announcement of relief packages,” said Andappa Kolur, district president of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha.There is also growing resentment over the state’s crop insurance mechanism. Many farmers allege that past compensation failed to cover their losses adequately and have sought a more transparent and faster claims process if the season ends in widespread crop failure.
