Drought assessment widens to 53 more Karnataka taluks

Bengaluru, Sept 17 (UNI) Karnataka's drought assessment is far from over, with the state government on Thursday ordering ground-level verification in another 53 taluks across 17 districts even as it formally declared 23 more taluks drought-affected, taking the notified tally to 124. The latest exercise means the State's drought map remains fluid, with the government continuing to assess taluks that have not yet received an official drought declaration. The 53 taluks have qualified for the third-stage ground-truthing after the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) assessed rainfall, soil moisture, crop conditions and other drought indicators. Importantly, inclusion in the…