The present study was done to decipher the impact of climate change on water resources and cropping pattern in Karnataka using the secondary data. Tabular analyses have been used to derive valid conclusions. The two important river basins of the state, Krishna and Cauvery, were selected for the present study. Between the two river basins, the increase in runoff and decrease in evapo-transpiration in the Krishna basin is higher, implying higher water stress and potential of droughts in the Krishna basin than in the Cauvery basin. The predominant crops such as rice, banana and sugarcane in both the Krishna and the Cauvery river basins being water-intensive crops will be affected negatively by the increased moisture stress in the near future, leading to reduced yields and change in cropping patterns