As the South West Monsoon hits Karnataka ahead of schedule, torrential rains are sweeping across the state — but the government’s disaster preparedness is severely lacking. A staggering 3,533 of 6,533 Telemetric Rain Gauges (TRGs), installed across every Gram Panchayat, are non-functional, undermining real-time flood and weather alerts.

TRGs, essential tools used by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), measure rainfall, wind, humidity, and lightning, transmitting live data to aid disaster response. But in many high-risk districts like Kodagu, Mysuru, and Mandya, over half of the devices are defunct.

  • Mysuru: 158 out of 280 TRGs (56%) not working
  • Kodagu: 56 out of 104 (54%) defunct, despite being prone to floods and landslides
  • Mandya: 109 out of 243 (45%) non-functional

Many of these solar-powered, weatherproof units have been out of service for over two years without maintenance. The KSNDMC is now forced to rely on automated forecasts and India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, which lack local precision and may lead to misleading alerts.

“This collapse in infrastructure during peak monsoon is unacceptable,” said N. Ravi Keerthi, a Mysuru-based weather blogger who flagged the issue to Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda. “Without real-time data, entire villages are left exposed.”

Kodagu’s Disaster Management Officer, R.M. Ananya Vasudev, emphasized that these gauges are not just for forecasting, but vital for agriculture, water planning, and climate research.

With climate unpredictability increasing, the failure to restore these devices risks lives, crops, and property — just when accurate data is needed most.

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