Karnataka has declared 68 taluks in 22 districts drought hit. (Representational Image)
Karnataka has declared 68 taluks in 22 districts drought hit, which also includes two talukas in Kodagu district.
Kodagu is the main catchment area of the Cauvery river - the water sharing issue has triggered a decades old battle between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The district received 1,690 mm of rain between January and September -- compared to normal figures of 2400mm.
Good rainfall here means a good inflow into the river and its tributaries and therefore into Karnataka's dams built on the Cauvery.
But this year, rainfall has been much less than normal in the region, leading to the taluk with the district headquarters, Madikeri, and Virarajendrapet in south Kodagu being declared drought-hit.
A woman labour told NDTV, "There was much less rain this year, the river level is much lower."
Chumie Puvaya, a coffee planter in Siddapura in the district, said rainfall in the area was just about 55% of normal this year.
Even priests at Talacauvery, the source of the river, considered sacred by many, told NDTV that only about half the usual rainfall was received so far this monsoon.
There are concerns that deforestation and rampant construction may affect rain patterns and ground water recharge in the area.
The region does receive higher rainfall than other areas and is right now misty in many parts, with cloud cover, so may not have the drought-hit look of other areas.
Karnataka does receive some rain in the north-east monsoon, but not as much as it gets in the earlier half of the season.