Karnataka chief minister urges calm as drought threatens water and power supplies

Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar told reporters that the state is facing a severe drought, with declining rainfall and looming shortages of drinking water and electricity. He emphasized that citizens should be mentally prepared while the government finalises reports for the Centre’s assessment. Over 101 taluks have been declared drought-affected in the first phase, and the Meteorological Department’s forecasts have fallen short of expectations.

Shivakumar announced a special session of the state legislature to address farmer issues and said a cabinet meeting in Mangaluru will produce additional announcements. He urged political parties not to exploit the situation for protests, stressing that the administration is focused on relief efforts.