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Telangana Government Urges Farmers to Conserve Water Amid El Nino Concerns
- •The Telangana government has appealed to farmers to use water and energy resources judiciously due to potential El Nino impacts, including deficient rainfall and rising temperatures.
- •Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka stated that El Nino impacts could persist until 2027, with no clear rainfall indications in the state until June or July next year.
- •Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao advised farmers to avoid cultivating paddy and cotton during the rabi season, recommending rain-fed and short-duration crops instead.
- •Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju reported a 20 percent rainfall deficit across all 33 districts, noting that prioritizing drinking water supplies over the next 10 months is the government's highest priority.
Key Questions Answered
The Telangana government has appealed to farmers to use water and energy judiciously and advised against cultivating water-intensive crops like paddy and cotton during the rabi season. Officials have prioritized reserving available water resources exclusively for drinking-water needs, ensuring adequate fodder for livestock, and promoting short-duration, rain-fed alternative crops.
Officials advised farmers against growing paddy and cotton because of severe rainfall deficits and rising temperatures driven by El Nino, which have left reservoirs with insufficient water. With power generation dropping and inflows into major basins like Krishna and Godavari falling significantly short of expected levels, the state has prioritized securing drinking-water supplies over agricultural irrigation.
Telangana has recorded a rainfall deficit of around 20 percent compared with the previous monsoon, with all 33 districts experiencing below-normal rainfall and 315 mandals recording very low rainfall. Meteorological warnings indicate that temperatures could reach 50 degrees Celsius this year, with normal temperatures of around 35 degrees Celsius potentially rising further due to El Nino impacts.
