Three months after El Nino warning, Telangana begins contingency planning

The Telangana government has begun contingency planning to tackle the possibility of deficient rainfall and prolonged dry spells. Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed departments and district administrations to prepare response strategies, promote climate-resilient crops and ensure timely support for farmers.

Hyderabad: More than three months after the Centre and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) cautioned about the possible impact of El Nino and below-normal monsoon rainfall, the Congress government in Telangana initiated contingency planning to deal with the emerging situation.

At a high-level review meeting on Thursday, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officials to prepare comprehensive State and district-level contingency plans to address the impact of deficient rainfall and prolonged dry spells. He instructed the Irrigation, Agriculture and Meteorological departments to work in close coordination and formulate response strategies based on rainfall forecasts, groundwater availability, reservoir storage, irrigation potential and local cropping patterns.

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The Minister also held a video conference with District Collectors and senior officials, directing them to immediately implement district-specific preparedness measures. He asked officials to closely monitor IMD forecasts and ensure timely dissemination of scientific advisories to farmers.

Officials were instructed to encourage climate-resilient and less water-intensive crops in areas facing uncertain water availability while creating awareness through Gram Sabhas, Rythu Vedikas and extension programmes. Directions were also issued to maintain transparency on reservoir storage and water availability to help farmers make informed cultivation decisions.

The Irrigation department was asked to keep infrastructure ready to store any inflows received in the Godavari River basin following rainfall in upstream catchments, while district administrations were directed to ensure adequate availability of seeds and fertilisers during the cropping season.