Hyderabad: Telangana is facing severe drought conditions in 320 mandals across 18 districts, with preliminary assessments linking the situation to the impact of El Nino, officials said on Tuesday.
The state has a total of 621 mandals across 33 districts. The latest assessment indicates that more than half of the state’s mandals could be facing severe drought conditions.
Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju directed officials to immediately prepare a comprehensive report on the drought situation during a review meeting of the State Disaster Management Department at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat.
12 Parameters to Assess Drought
The Chief Secretary instructed officials to collect detailed data from the Planning, Revenue, Groundwater, Agriculture, Panchayat Raj and Rural Water Supply departments.
Officials have been directed to identify drought-affected mandals based on established government norms and assess the situation using 12 standard parameters, including rainfall received during the Southwest Monsoon season from June to September.
The government plans to complete the comprehensive drought assessment and prepare a report by the end of October. The process of formally declaring drought-affected mandals will be undertaken in accordance with prescribed regulations and standards.
All-Party Meeting on El Nino Impact
The Chief Secretary also directed officials to prepare a detailed report containing all relevant information for the all-party meeting that the Telangana government has decided to convene to discuss the impact of El Nino.
The state Cabinet had recently decided to hold the all-party meeting and seek suggestions from political parties before finalising the government’s response to the situation.
A Cabinet sub-committee has also been tasked with assessing the drought situation and submitting a detailed report.
Telangana Seeks Central Assistance
The state government has decided to send a delegation of ministers to New Delhi to meet Union ministers and submit a comprehensive report on the drought situation.
Telangana is expected to request the Centre to formally declare the affected mandals as drought-hit and provide financial assistance for relief and mitigation measures.
17% Rainfall Deficit
Telangana recorded a 17 per cent deficit in Southwest Monsoon rainfall, which ended on September 30.
Officials had previously indicated that around 235 mandals were experiencing drought-like conditions. The latest preliminary assessment has now put the number of severely affected mandals at 320 across 18 districts.
Principal Secretary (Finance) Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Principal Secretary (Disaster Management) Rahul Bojja, and Secretaries Dasari Harichandana and Gaurav Uppal, among other senior officials, attended the review meeting.
The final number of drought-affected mandals will be determined after a detailed assessment based on the prescribed parameters and government guidelines.
