Hyderabad, October 6 (Daily Kiran) : In Hyderabad, the impact of El Niño is leading to alarming drought conditions in Telangana. Initial signs of severe drought have been observed in 320 mandals across 18 of the state’s 33 districts. On Tuesday, Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju directed officials during a review meeting of the state disaster management department to compile a detailed report on the drought situation.
Jaju instructed departments including planning, revenue, groundwater, agriculture, panchayat raj, and rural water supply to gather comprehensive data. He emphasized identifying drought-affected mandals based on 12 criteria, including rainfall from June to September during the southwest monsoon. The process for declaring drought, as per government regulations and established standards, is set to commence, with a detailed report expected by the end of October.
The Chief Secretary also requested the preparation of necessary data for an all-party meeting proposed by the state government to discuss the effects of El Niño.
The meeting included key officials such as Sandeep Kumar Sultania, Principal Secretary of the Finance Department, and Rahul Bojja, Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management Department, among others.
Last week, the state cabinet decided to convene an all-party meeting to gather suggestions from political parties regarding the impact of El Niño. Additionally, a cabinet subcommittee has been tasked with assessing the situation and preparing a comprehensive report.
The government has also determined that a delegation of ministers will travel to Delhi to submit a report to the central government. They will request the declaration of affected mandals as drought-hit and seek financial assistance for relief efforts.
During the southwest monsoon, which concluded on September 30, Telangana recorded 17 percent less rainfall than average. Previously, officials had indicated that approximately 235 mandals were experiencing drought-like conditions.
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