Karwar: Regional Commissioner N Jayaram instructed officials to take effective steps to tackle the situation arising out of the drought hit areas in Uttara Kannada district. He was taking stock of the drought related problems in the district at a meeting held in Karwar on Monday.

Due to lack of rain, some of the taluks in the district are facing drought. Proper steps should be taken to ensure adequate supply of fodder and drinking water in these taluks, he stated.

Deputy Commissioner S S Nakul said that, Haliyal, Siddapur, Yellapur and Mundgod taluks have already been declared as drought-hit. Approximately 321 villages in the district have been identified as likely to face shortage of drinking water in the summer. The sale of fodder outside the State has been banned in order to meet the demand here. The staff of the Animal Husbandri Department have been deployed at Majali and Joida taluk’s Anamoda check-posts to see that the ban is implemented.”

The details of as many as 33,995 farmer's bank accounts need to be collected for crediting input subsidy in the drought-hit taluks. So far, details of 29,491 farmers has been collected.

The details of 9,153 farmers had been uploaded in the Bhumi Software. And four nodal officers have been appointed for each taluk to oversee the work related to supply of drinking water, input subsidy, and other drought-related works, he explained.

The average rainfall in rabi season in the district is 2,787 mm, whereas the actual rainfall this season was just 2,191mm. Out of the target which was 7,100 ha, the actual sowing had been completed in just 3,843 ha, he said.