The state of Karnataka in India experiences diverse rainfall quantities across its regions. While Malnad and Coastal Karnataka receive copious amount of rainfall; its north Bayaluseemae region in the Deccan Plateau is one of the most arid regions in the country. Most of the rains received in the state is during the monsoon season. Being an agrarian economy with a large percentage of its citizens engaged in agriculture, the failure of rains can have a crippling effect on the economy of the state. Apart from the benefits in agriculture, the Government of Karnataka has tried to avail other benefits of rainfall using scientific methods. An example of this is the project, Rainwater Harvesting in Rural Karnataka which is initiated by the Karnataka State Council for Science and Technology and is one of the largest rainwater harvesting projects in the world.[1] Agumbe in the Shimoga district, Amagaon in Belgaum District, Hulikal again in Shimoga district and Talakaveri in Madikeri are some of the known places with the highest annual rainfall in South India. Of this Amagaon has received over 10000 mm rain fall twice in 10 years.
Agumbe and Hulikal in Shivamogga District of Western Ghat region is considered as "Cheerapunji of South India" but still some places in Western Ghats region had resulted much more rainfall than these two villages. Amagaon in Belgaum District recorded magical number of 10,068mm in the year 2010, Mundrote in Kodagu district recorded 9974mm in the year 2011.
The table below compares rainfall between Agumbe in Thirthahalli taluk in Shimoga district, Hulikal in Hosanagara taluk in Shimoga district, Amagaon in Khanapur Taluk in Belgaum district and Talacauvery and Mundrote in Madikeri taluk in Kodagu district, Kokalli of Sirsi Taluk, Nilkund of Siddapur Taluk, CastleRock of Supa (Joida) Taluk in Uttara Kannada District, Kollur in Udupi District to show which one can be called the "Cherrapunji of South India".
| Year | Hulikal Rainfall (mm) | Agumbe Rainfall (mm) | Amagaon Rainfall (mm) | Talacauvery Rainfall (mm) [2] | Kokalli Rainfall (mm) | Nilkund Rainfall (mm) | Castle Rock Rainfall (mm) | Mundrote Rainfall (mm) | Kollur Rainfall (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 5,700 | 6,311 | 4,733 | 5,859 | 3130 | 4981 | 5560 | 1002 | 5203 |
| 2016 | 5,721 | 6,449 | 4,705 | 5,430 | 2682 | 4655 | 4968 | 1458 | 3496 |
| 2015 | 6,035 | 5,518 | 4,013 | 5,319 | 2730 | 4367 | 3667 | 3143 | 4254 |
| 2014 | 7,907 | 7,917 | 5,580 | 7,844 | 8746 | 6710 | 5956 | 5566 | 3308 |
| 2013 | 9,383 | 8,770 | 8,440 | 8,628 | 4464 | 7082 | 3667 | 7199 | 6614 |
| 2012 | 8,409 | 6,933 | 5,987 | 5,722 | 5036 | 5398 | 6165 | 3727 | 6715 |
| 2011 | 8,523 | 7,921 | 9,368 | 6,855 | 4437 | 6593 | 7083 | 9974 | 7083 |
| 2010 | 7,717 | 6,929 | 10,068 | 6,794 | 4002 | - | - | 5042 | 7685 |
| 2009 | 8,357 | 7,982 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2008 | 7,115 | 7,199 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2007 | 9,038 | 8,255 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2006 | 8,656 | 8,457 | - | - | -[3][4] | - | - |
The following were the top 5 places that recorded highest rainfall in statistics [2010-2017] [5][6][7][8]
| Rank | Hobli/Village | District | Taluk | Year | Rainfall in mm | Elevation in metres |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amagaon | Belgaum district | Khanapur | 2010 | 10,068 | 785 |
| 2 | Mundrote | Kodagu district/Coorg District | Madikeri | 2011 | 9,974 | 585 |
| 3 | Hulikal | Shimoga district | Hosanagara | 2013 | 9,383 | 614 |
| 4 | Agumbe | Shimoga district | Thirthahalli | 2013 | 8,770 | 643 |
| 5 | Kokalli/Kakalli | Uttara Kannada | Sirsi | 2014 | 8,746 | 780 |
The following places recorded highest rainfall with respect to each year [2010-2017]
| Year | Place | Taluk | District | Rainfall in mm | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Agumbe | Thirthahalli | Shimoga district | 6,311 | 634 |
| 2016 | Agumbe | Thirthahalli | Shimoga district | 6,449 | 634 |
| 2015 | Hulikal | Hosanagara | Shimoga district | 6,035 | 614 |
| 2014 | Kokalli | Sirsi | Uttara Kannada | 8,746 | 780 |
| 2013 | Hulikal | Hosanagara | Shimoga district | 9,383 | 614 |
| 2012 | Hulikal | Hosanagara | Shimoga district | 8,409 | 614 |
| 2011 | Mundrote | Madikeri | Kodagu district | 9,974 | 585 |
| 2010 | Amagaon | Khanapur | Belgaum district | 10,068 | 785 |
- ^ A. R. Shivakumar. "World's largest rainwater harvesting project in Karnataka" (PDF). Current Science, VOL. 92, NO. 2, 25 JANUARY 2007. Online webpage of Indian Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 25 June 2007.
- ^ Amagaon has got over 10,000 mm annual rainfall twice in the five years (2006-2010). The exact amount of rainfall is not available. See Amagaon is now Cherrapunji of South from DeccanHerald.com accessed 23 March 2013
- ^ "Govt of Karnataka Rainfall Statistics (Kokalli)" (PDF). DES.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics of Karnataka". DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Kokalli (Ajjimane)" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Amagaon" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Mundrote" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Agumbe and Hulikal" (PDF). DES karnataka.
- ^ "Govt of Karnataka Rainfall Statistics (Kokalli)" (PDF). DES.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics of Karnataka". DES Karanataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Kokalli (Ajjimane)" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Amagaon" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Mundrote" (PDF). DES Karnataka.
- ^ "Rainfall Statistics for Agumbe and Hulikal" (PDF). DES karnataka.