Hyderabad, Oct 28 Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday said the state government is taking precautionary measures to address drought-like conditions in the state and ensure availability of drinking water and fodder for livestock.
Vikramarka, who convened an all-party meeting to take suggestions on measures to deal with the rainfall deficit due to the impact of El Niño, said a report on the drought situation has already been submitted to the Centre.
If necessary, the government would take an all-party delegation to Delhi to meet Union Ministers and seek Central assistance, he said.
The opposition BJP and BRS, however, attacked the government for not announcing concrete measures to deal with the drought conditions.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy and other ministers, former BRS MP B Vinod Kumar, BJP floor leader in the Assembly A Maheshwar Reddy, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, his younger brother and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, and other leaders of the ruling Congress, BRS, CPI, CPI(M), TDP and other parties attended the meeting.
The Deputy CM said the government is formulating plans to make effective use of available resources, taking into account water storage levels in reservoirs.
He said department-wise measures are being initiated to anticipate drought conditions and minimise their impact.
The government would make advance arrangements to prevent drinking water shortages in both rural and urban areas and ensure the availability of drinking water and fodder for livestock, he said.
He assured that the government would take decisions based on the prevailing situation, taking into consideration the advice of scientists and experts. He said the government would examine the suggestions made by leaders of various parties and take appropriate measures.
Recalling that the government and political parties had worked together to overcome the Covid-19 crisis, Vikramarka called for a similar spirit of cooperation in addressing the present challenges, placing public welfare above political differences.
Observing that the governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra have released funds to provide financial assistance to farmers, BJP’s Maheshwar Reddy said the Telangana government has so far not specified how it plans to provide relief to ryots.
In a release, Reddy demanded that the government provide Rs 15,000 financial assistance per acre to farmers. He alleged that the criteria followed by the government in announcing drought-affected mandals, and the criteria for providing relief to farmers, are not clear.
BRS leader B Vinod Kumar alleged that the government has not informed how it plans to mitigate the adverse impact of the drought. He asked why farmers in Telangana had to announce a “crop holiday” during the year when no such situation prevails in neighbouring Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The Telangana government on October 27 declared 365 mandals in 31 of the 33 districts to be drought-affected and directed district authorities to initiate relief measures forthwith.
Of the 365 mandals, the government declared severe drought in 111 mandals and moderate drought in 254 mandals for 2026.
The Telangana Assembly on September 18 passed a resolution urging the Centre to provide a Rs 20,000 crore package, among others, to deal with the impact of El Niño, which resulted in a rainfall deficit in the state.
El Niño, the warm phase of a natural climate cycle, raises sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, triggering weather changes that can increase the risk of droughts and floods and intensify human-induced global warming.
(PTI News)
