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Dharwad: With all eight taluks of Dharwad district declared severely drought-affected, banks have been advised to grant farmers a 12-month moratorium on repayment of loans taken for crops, dairy farming, fisheries, sericulture and agriculture-based enterprises. The overall loan repayment period has also been extended to 60 months.
Water conservation measures With the district recording a 48% monsoon rainfall deficit and India meteorological department (IMD) forecasting the possibility of below-normal rainfall during the post-monsoon season, the administration has urged residents to use water judiciously.
Deputy commissioner Snehal R said the district administration has urged farmers not to borrow from unauthorised moneylenders. Farmers facing coercive loan recovery by banks should report such instances to the district administration or District Central Cooperative (DCC) authorities, she said. If any crop has been left out, they must approach the respective Agriculture, Horticulture or Revenue Department officials within a week, Snehal said.
With govt taking steps to provide drought relief to farmers who have suffered crop losses, those in the eight affected taluks must register every survey number on the FRUITS portal and obtain a Farmer Identification Number (FID). Farmers should also verify whether crops cultivated under each survey number have been recorded in the crop survey database.
At present, 17 villages across three taluks are facing drinking water shortages, with water being supplied through 19 private borewells. Drinking water is being supplied daily to all 100 wards under the district’s five urban local bodies. Of the 82 wards in Hubballi-Dharwad, 13 receive round-the-clock water under the 24×7 scheme, while the remaining wards receive supply once every two to six days.
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Temperatures have already risen and are expected to climb further in the coming days, according to the IMD forecast. The district administration has initiated precautionary measures to tackle a potential water shortage and issued guidelines urging residents to conserve water in their daily lives. Download the TOI App.