Bhatti Urges Political Parties to Support People amid Challenging Natural Conditions

He recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, people responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeals by clapping, ringing bells and lighting lamps to express their support for the government.

He said it was unfortunate that attempts were now being made to target the government politically when the state was facing deficient rainfall due to the impact of El Niño. He urged opposition parties to offer constructive suggestions that would benefit the people instead of limiting themselves to criticism.

With the impact of the Super El Niño intensifying dry weather conditions, Bhatti Vikramarka appealed to everyone to use available water resources judiciously. He stressed the need to conserve the remaining water in tanks, ponds and reservoirs to prevent drinking water shortages in the coming months.

He said water scarcity was affecting not only agriculture but also the power sector. The government was taking steps to manage electricity generation, transmission and distribution in line with rising demand.

Bhatti Vikramarka was speaking at a media conference held on Saturday in Kodumuru village of Chintakani mandal in Madhira constituency, Khammam district.

Power demand rises to 20,018 MW

Bhatti Vikramarka said electricity consumption in Telangana had increased significantly. At the time of the state's formation in 2014, peak power demand stood at 6,648 MW, whereas it has now reached 20,018 MW.

He explained that peak demand, which stood at 15,497 MW in 2023, increased to 17,162 MW in 2025 and has risen further in the current period.

While electricity demand generally increases by 6–6.5 per cent annually, a rise of nearly 25 per cent was recorded in October this year, he said.

Daily electricity consumption increased from 245.35 million units in October last year to 335.05 million units in October this year, representing an increase of approximately 37 per cent.

He also referred to another October electricity consumption figure that rose from 5,108 to 9,577, marking an increase of 87.50 per cent.

Bhatti said rising temperatures had increased electricity consumption in households, while the demand for power to operate agricultural pump sets and lift irrigation schemes had also gone up.

In this situation, he said, increasing power generation and ensuring uninterrupted delivery of electricity to consumers were equally important.

Expansion of power infrastructure

The Deputy Chief Minister said the government was expanding electricity infrastructure through advance planning to meet the growing demand.

Approvals had been granted for the construction of new substations under the Telangana Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGSPDCL) and Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (TGNPDCL). Of these, 177 substations had already been completed, while construction work on another 267 was in progress.

Under the Transmission Corporation of Telangana Limited (TGTRANSCO), approvals had been granted for 24 substations. Of these, 11 had been completed, while work on another nine was underway.

He said the expansion of transmission infrastructure at the 400/220 kV, 220/132 kV and 132/33 kV levels was helping the state manage the power supply system despite the substantial increase in demand.

Water scarcity affects hydropower generation

Bhatti Vikramarka said that while El Niño conditions were driving up electricity demand, declining water levels in reservoirs were also affecting hydropower generation.

Normally, around 3,500 MW of hydropower capacity would be available to meet peak demand during night-time hours. However, water scarcity was affecting the availability of this power, he said.

At a time when additional demand was increasing by 4,000–5,000 MW, the decline in hydropower generation had created a major challenge for the electricity sector.

Despite these difficulties, the government and electricity department officials were taking necessary steps to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to the public, he said.

As pressure on power generation and distribution systems continued to rise, Bhatti Vikramarka appealed to consumers to use electricity responsibly and only as required.

Groundwater shortage affecting 1.5 million agricultural pump sets

The Deputy Chief Minister revealed that Telangana had approximately three million agricultural pump sets, of which nearly 1.5 million were facing groundwater shortages in their respective areas.

He warned that operating motors when borewells had no water could cause the motors to burn out and increase electrical loads, potentially damaging transformers as well. Farmers were therefore urged not to switch on agricultural motors in areas where groundwater was unavailable.

He clarified that such damage was not necessarily caused by poor electricity supply quality but could result from attempting to operate motors without sufficient water. He advised farmers to take precautions to protect their motors and transformers from damage.

Drinking water must receive top priority

Bhatti Vikramarka said the quantity of water available for use in the state's major reservoirs had declined. Against a total storage capacity of 470.22 TMC, only 178.60 TMC of water was currently available for utilisation, he said.

Of the 44,034 tanks across the state, nearly 40 per cent had less than one-fourth of their storage capacity filled. With inadequate rainfall and rising temperatures, water stored in tanks, ponds and reservoirs was at risk of evaporating, he said.

In these circumstances, Bhatti Vikramarka appealed to the public to avoid wasteful consumption and give priority to drinking water requirements. He stressed that water conservation was a collective responsibility, taking into account the needs of human beings, livestock, birds and wildlife.

He also stated that approximately 5.3 million households in Telangana were receiving free electricity for consumption of up to 200 units per month. The government was paying around ₹5,000 crore annually to the distribution companies for this scheme.

In addition, approximately ₹14,000 crore was being spent annually to provide free electricity to agricultural pump sets, he said.

Rural employment works to support people

Bhatti Vikramarka said the government was making alternative arrangements to prevent rural labourers and farmers from facing livelihood difficulties if agricultural activities declined due to El Niño.

Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, 910,000 works had already been identified, and steps were being taken to identify an additional eight lakh works, he said.

Officials had been instructed to take up a wide range of activities, including farm ponds, soak pits, recharge pits, borewell recharge works, cattle sheds, poultry sheds, nurseries, horticultural asset development, water troughs, rural roads, and works related to tanks and canals.

He said the government was preparing sufficient work opportunities to ensure continuous employment for people in rural areas.

Although the Centre currently provides funds for the employment guarantee scheme in a 60:40 ratio, the state government was prepared to arrange the funds required for its share, he said.

Assuring people that there was no need for panic, Bhatti said the government would prioritise both employment generation and water conservation.

Collective efforts needed to tackle the crisis

Bhatti Vikramarka said scientists had warned that the impact of Super El Niño could extend to several countries across the world.

He called for governments, public representatives, officials and citizens to understand the scientific information and work together to address the emerging challenges.

He said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had already held a review meeting with officials and constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee to address the situation.

Appealing to opposition parties to rise above political differences, Bhatti urged them to cooperate in tackling the crisis, just as people and political leaders had supported collective efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He reiterated that the government would take all necessary steps to conserve vital resources such as water and electricity while protecting the livelihoods of farmers, labourers and rural communities.