Sullia: As the scorching heat of the summer sun hits the district, fear of drought is gripping the people of coastal Karnataka. Amid this, the River Payaswini which is considered ‘lifeline’ by the people here, has stopped flowing completely.
The people of the town are fearing a severe drought similar to the one that had occurred in the year 2016.
As the town experiences terrible heat, there is a drastic fall in the water level in River Payaswini.
Though cloudy weather accompanies the 40 degree centigrade temperature here, there is no sign of rain. There is acute shortage of water in the wells, lakes and ponds.
Usually, in the month of February, the town experiences a moderate rainfall, but this time around there is not a drop of it.
Also after the catastrophic Kodagu flood that had occurred in areas like Jodupala and Monnangeri in August 2018, the landslides have brought down tons of mud and sand, eventually closing down the essential water routes and sources. This too has added to the water scarcity.
The rains which usually pours till December every year, had stopped in the month of September last year. The town which experiences 4500 millimeters of rain every year had received 4995 millimeters of rain, last year. With all the natural storage resources destroyed in the valleys due to floods, the town is now on the verge of a drought.
