Uttam Calls for Comprehensive Contingency Plans
Collectors told they are key in coping with El Nino hit monsoon
Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Thursday directed officials to be ready with comprehensive contingency plans to effectively tackle any challenges that may arise from El Nino’s impact on the rest of the monsoon season.
With forecasts indicating the possibility of El Nino continuing to influence the monsoon, Uttam Kumar Reddy said Telangana could not remain immune if the climate system impacted the country. He called for seamless coordination among irrigation, agriculture, and meteorological departments to minimise risks to agriculture and protect farmers’ livelihoods.
Chairing a high-level review meeting on El Nino preparedness ehre, with agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao joining online, Uttam Kumar Reddy stressed that there was no reason for farmers to panic, as comprehensive contingency measures were being put in place to respond swiftly to any emerging situation.
During the video conference with district collectors, and Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju joining in, the ministers said the collectors should ensure intensive coordination between agriculture and irrigation departments, and to educate farmers on contingency plans and availability of water for irrigation.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said planning must be made based on developing conditions along with rainfall projections, groundwater availability, reservoir storage, irrigation potential and local cropping patterns. He said every district should be equipped with a clear response strategy to address any adverse impact arising from deficient rainfall or prolonged dry spells.
The irrigation minister emphasised scientific crop planning, and advised farmers not to depend exclusively on traditional water-intensive crops wherever water availability was uncertain. Grama sabhas, Rythu Vedikas and field-level extension programmes should be extensively utilised to create awareness among farmers about appropriate cropping choices and climate-resilient farming practices, he said.
He directed irrigation department officials to provide transparent information on reservoir storage and water availability so that farmers can make informed cultivation decisions.
He also directed the officials to keep all infrastructure ready to efficiently store inflows in the Godavari basin, including at the Sripada Yellampalli Reservoir, immediately after substantial rainfall is received in the upstream catchments of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The meeting was also attended by IT minister D. Sridhar Babu, irrigation principal secretary E. Sridhar, additional secretary K. Srinivas, engineer-in-chief Ramesh Babu, agriculture secretary Surendra Mohan, Vice-Chancellor of Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University Dr Aldas Janaiah, and other senior officials from agriculture, irrigation and horticulture departments.
