Bengaluru, July 3 -- Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday appealed to farmers not to cultivate water-intensive crops or depend on reservoir water for irrigation, warning that the state is staring at a possible severe drought as inflows into major reservoirs have fallen drastically and rainfall remains below normal.
Describing the situation as a matter of serious concern, Shivakumar said farmers should make cropping decisions based on the progress of the monsoon and the actual availability of water, cautioning that the government may not be in a position to release irrigation water if reservoir levels remain low.
"If there is no water in the reservoirs, we will not be able to release water for irrigation. Farmers should not pre...