Hyderabad: State govt is most likely to convene an all-party meeting on Wednesday (Oct 28) to discuss the impact of El Niño, deficient rainfall and prevailing drought-like conditions across the state.
As many as 358 mandals were identified as potentially drought-affected, while groundwater availability was a concern in 324 mandals, according to preliminary assessments discussed at a cabinet sub-committee meeting on Oct 23. The reservoirs’ storage was reported at 170 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) against the total capacity of 470 TMC. Chief minister A Revanth Reddy has warned that El Niño conditions could lead to a prolonged drought-like situation until July 2027, raising concerns over possible water and power shortages.
Deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka will chair the meeting at the secretariat. Govt intends to seek suggestions and recommendations from representatives of all political parties to develop effective strategies to mitigate the impact of the anticipated drought and address challenges in the coming months. The meeting assumes significance amid growing concerns over rainfall deficiency, declining groundwater levels and reduced water storage in reservoirs across Telangana . He stressed the need to involve people as stakeholders in tackling the anticipated crisis. Meanwhile, the cabinet sub-committee, headed by Bhatti Vikramarka, has initiated steps to prepare department-wise action plans to tackle the anticipated drought situation.