Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has appealed to farmers to defer one crop cycle, particularly water-intensive paddy cultivation, warning that an unprecedented El Nino-related water crisis could threaten the state’s drinking water supply over the next eight to 10 months.
The Chief Minister, along with his cabinet colleagues and bureaucrats, held a detailed review meeting on the prevailing situation in the state. Citing reservoir data, the Chief Minister said Telangana had approximately 200 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water across its reservoirs, against the usual 462 TMC for this time of year. Water availability in Krishna basin reservoirs was 72 per cent lower than a year ago, while Godavari basin reservoirs recorded a 42 per cent decline, he said.
He announced that Former Chief Secretary and government advisor K. He warned that inadequate irrigation could leave farmers facing heavy financial losses and jeopardise drinking water availability. The Chief Minister also flagged mounting pressure on electricity supplies. Ramakrishna Rao would serve as the nodal officer for El Nino-related information, while an all-party meeting was planned after Dasara.
Revanth Reddy said farmers had already avoided paddy cultivation on more than 13 lakh acres following earlier government appeals, while paddy had been planted on approximately 53 lakh acres elsewhere. Daily power demand, typically around 15,000 megawatts in October, had exceeded 20,000 MW, representing an increase of roughly 33 per cent, he said.
The government would also support affected agricultural labourers through VB-G RAM G, focusing on irrigation and drainage works, he said.
