Hubli
The delayed monsoon rains have brought distress to farmers in Hubli, where crops sown with minimal rainfall are now withering away. Around Kalaghatagi and Kundagola taluks in Dharwad district, farmers are putting in relentless efforts, working day and night to secure tanker water for their drying cotton and groundnut crops. In an attempt to salvage their crops, farmers are employing various strategies. Water from tankers is being sprayed onto the plants, and they are gathering water by creating temporary pits lined with palm leaves. Using tools like oil engine machines and mini tankers, they are employing sprinklers to irrigate the fields. The monsoon entered the state in early June, but Dharwad district experienced scarce rainfall. It was only in the second week of July that rain finally arrived. Farmers, who had cleared their loans and invested in seeds and fertilizers, took another gamble and sowed their fields. However, due to limited rainfall, their efforts have yielded meager results, with crops like maize and cowpeas struggling to thrive in the parched soil. The financial burden on these farmers is mounting. They are taking out loans once again to maintain their crops, spending significant amounts to procure water through private tanker services. Maintaining the crops has become a costlier endeavor than the initial sowing process. Private borewells charge around 400 rupees per tanker, and each acre requires a minimum of 10 tankers of water, summing up to 4,000 rupees for just one week. Additionally, farmers are shelling out around five to six thousand rupees per acre, including expenses for oil engine machines and diesel. Some are even holding out hope for rain, hesitant to expend further effort in saving crops that might not survive. Despite a forecast of rain this week, the fate of the already-sown crops hangs in the balance.
