Severe Drought Hits 101 Mandals, Moderate Drought in 214, Says Telangana

Hyderabad: The state government has identified preliminary drought conditions in 315 mandals, including 101 facing severe drought and 214 experiencing moderate drought, and proposed a Rs 1,986.89-crore assistance package for farmers affected by deficient rainfall and crop losses.

Officials presented the assessment at an informal Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy at the Secretariat on Thursday to review the impact of El Niño and the emerging drought situation.

According to the report, Telangana received 615.5 mm of rainfall against the normal 740.6 mm between June 1 and September 30. By October 15, cumulative rainfall stood at 615.8 mm against the normal 795.7 mm, resulting in a 23 per cent deficit.

The deficient rainfall affected agricultural operations, with the cultivated area declining by 13.22 lakh acres, from 139.28 lakh acres last year to 126.06 lakh acres this year. Paddy cultivation declined from 69.19 lakh acres to 57.04 lakh acres.

Officials estimated cotton crop damage across 8.93 lakh acres, with yields likely to decline by up to 50 per cent. Paddy crops were affected across 1.20 lakh acres, with an estimated yield reduction of 30 to 35 per cent.

Nalgonda accounted for the largest affected area at 3.58 lakh acres, followed by Jogulamba Gadwal with 1.45 lakh acres, Nagarkurnool with 1.41 lakh acres and Rangareddy with 1.29 lakh acres.

Officials proposed compensation of `10,000 per acre for crop losses. The `1,986.89-crore assistance package includes seed subsidies, support for micro-irrigation and incentives to promote horticultural crops. They also recommended seeking Central assistance of `10,000 per acre for farmers who refrain from cultivating paddy during the 2026-27 rabi season, in view of the anticipated water shortage.

The assessment highlighted declining storage in major reservoirs, with available water standing at 209.45 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft) against the normal capacity of 466 tmc ft.

The officials recommended prioritising drinking water requirements and restricting irrigation releases. They proposed utilising 47 tmc ft for a single watering of standing kharif crops across approximately seven lakh acres. Farmers in areas without assured water availability could be advised to observe a crop holiday. The government was also advised to reserve 85 tmc ft exclusively for drinking water requirements until July 2027.

Declining water levels in the Singur and Manjeera reservoirs have raised concerns over drinking water supplies to Hyderabad. Officials said the city currently receives around 560 million gallons of water a day and shortages from the two reservoirs could require greater reliance on alternative sources.

The proposed contingency measures include pumping additional water from the Krishna, modifying supplies under Mission Bhagiratha and increasing the utilisation of Godavari water to meet drinking water requirements. The officials also recommended restricting the use of drinking water and borewell water for construction and other non-essential purposes within the Hyderabad CURE limits. Depending on the severity of the shortage, water supply in some localities could be restricted to once every three days.

The assessment indicated that drinking water supply to around three lakh connections in the Hyderabad metropolitan area could be affected by December. At present, around 1.3 crore people receive drinking water through 14.5 lakh connections across the metropolitan area.

The officials proposed nine alternative plans involving an estimated expenditure of Rs 57.55 crore to address the anticipated shortage and minimise its impact on consumers. The government was also advised to seek Rs 30,000 crore in special financial assistance from the Centre to address drought conditions.

The proposed assistance includes Rs 3,552 crore for restoration of tanks and other water resources, `16,448 crore for key irrigation projects and Rs 10,000 crore towards electricity subsidies for pumping and lifting water for agricultural requirements. The officials recommended that the state take up these proposals with the Centre to secure financial support for drought relief, irrigation infrastructure and water supply management.