The Karnataka government had decided to declare 29 more taluks drought-hit. The move will make 139 of the 176 taluks part of the list of drought-affected regions in the state, Deccan Herald reported on Sunday.

The decision was made at a meeting of a Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Karnataka Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, in Bengaluru on Saturday. An official announcement on the matter is expected sometime this week after a state Cabinet meeting.

According to Thimmappa, the state government had sought Rs 3,373 crore from the Centre as compensation for drought relief and submitted a report on the same. A team from the central government is scheduled to visit Karnataka's drought-affected regions from November 2 to 5. The decision comes as Karnataka is in a court battle with Tamil Nadu over sharing Cauvery river water.

A 34% rainfall deficit this southwest monsoon has also left Kerala on the verge of a drought. According to data from the Indian Meteorological Department, the state received 1352.3 mm of rain between June 1 and September 30 as compared to normal rainfall of 2039.7 mm, The Hindu reported.

Thiruvananthapuram Director of the IMD S Sudevan said Kerala had received no showers in October, and the state will face a drought-like situation if this continues. "If the northeast monsoon fails, then there will be problems in different sectors such as power and agriculture," he added. Water level in the state's dams have dropped by 22% from that last September.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, too, had warned of a drought in Kerala. "A huge danger is lurking in the state in the form of drought as the southwest monsoon was deficient. If this situation continues, Kerala is heading for a severe drought. We need to take precautions," he said, urging people to take up water harvesting to tackle the rainwater shortage.