Hyderabad, Oct. 15: Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju has said protecting standing crops and ensuring drinking water supplies are the government’s immediate priorities amid poor rainfall and declining groundwater levels.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting water levels at the Singur reservoir on Thursday, Jaju directed officials to work together to protect crops expected to be ready for harvest within a fortnight.
He interacted with officials from the Irrigation, Mission Bhagiratha, Agriculture and other departments to review the situation.
Telangana Drought Measures Focus on Crops and Drinking Water
Jaju said El Niño had affected the state this year. Poor southwest monsoon rainfall had also pushed temperatures up by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, he said.
He warned that farmers could face water shortages during the upcoming Yasangi season despite additional power supply. Groundwater levels have fallen sharply compared with previous years.
The Chief Secretary said the issue would be discussed at the State Cabinet meeting on Thursday. The government would appoint a nodal officer to coordinate drought response measures.
He added that drinking water supplies would be strengthened by hiring or drilling borewells wherever necessary. However, he said the situation in Sangareddy was relatively better than in other districts. The effects of El Niño were expected to continue until February.
Collector Prateek Jain, Superintendent of Police Paritosh Pankaj, Narayankhed MLA Patlolla Sanjeeva Reddy and Narayankhed Sub-Collector Umaharathi were present.
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