Telangana Launches Statewide El Nino Preparedness Drive
Bhatti said creating awareness was as important as planning government interventions
HYDERABAD: Telangana has begun preparing for the expected El Nino season with a statewide awareness and coordination drive aimed at helping communities and government departments respond before its impact is felt.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the government would organise awareness programmes in every district to help farmers, officials and local communities understand the likely effects of El Nino (pronounced El NEEN-yoh) and prepare accordingly.
Addressing the seminar, ‘El Nino: From Pacific Warming to Telangana Preparedness,’ organised by the planning department in collaboration with the centre for economic and social studies, Bhatti said scientific forecasts should be translated into action well in advance.
“El Nino is not merely a weather event. It has the potential to affect agriculture, water resources, hydropower generation, livestock and people’s livelihoods. Scientific understanding must reach every village so that people can prepare before its impact is felt,” he said.
Bhatti said creating awareness was as important as planning government interventions. “We should not wait for the effects of El Nino to become visible before taking action. Preparedness at the individual, family, village, mandal and district levels will help reduce losses and strengthen our response,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said departments including planning, agriculture, irrigation, ground water and power had been asked to work together and prepare contingency plans based on scientific forecasts.
As part of the government’s preparedness measures, he directed power utilities to maximise thermal power generation, ensure uninterrupted availability of quality coal through Singareni Collieries Company Limited and promote greater use of electricity during daytime solar generation hours to improve grid management during the El Nino period. “Governments cannot control natural phenomena, but they can reduce their impact through timely planning, scientific inputs and coordinated action. That is the purpose of beginning this exercise well in advance,” he said.
Bhatti also stressed the need to bridge the gap between scientific research and public awareness, saying district level programmes would help ensure that forecasts and advisories reach people in a form they can understand and act upon.
