Hyderabad: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has warned that the Telangana drought, which began in October, could persist until July 2027. He said the drought-like conditions could stretch over eight to ten months. Revanth Reddy made the remarks at a detailed review meeting on the impact of El Niño at Praja Bhavan on Friday, 23 October 2026.
“We cannot face this drought without alerting people and making them stakeholders,” the Chief Minister said. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, District Congress Committee presidents and other public representatives attended. The session focused on how El Niño is affecting the state’s rainfall, reservoirs, agriculture, drinking water and power supply.
At the meeting, the Chief Minister reiterated that drinking water will get priority over irrigation. He urged farmers to grow dryland crops and vegetables instead of water-intensive paddy in the Yasangi (Rabi) season. He also called for awareness campaigns through Rythu Vedikas. Meanwhile, a cabinet sub-committee headed by Bhatti Vikramarka continues to assess rainfall-deficit regions and recommend measures.
The government named Ramakrishna Rao as Nodal Officer on El Niño, specifically to counter misinformation. The Chief Minister signalled a new relief scheme for poor workers. It will launch after Sankranti and run for four months until May. He also affirmed that the government will protect and procure monsoon-season crops.
Revanth Reddy likened the required response to the unified approach seen during the COVID-19 period. He appealed to all parties, citizens and the media for cooperation. The government plans to set up a media nodal officer and a toll-free number. Citing drought stress in Britain and drinking-water rationing in parts of Maharashtra, he said the phenomenon is not confined to India.
Preparations had begun earlier. In July, an expert committee headed by the then State Planning Board Vice-Chairman G. Chinna Reddy submitted a contingency plan of roughly ₹803 crore. It recommended climate-informed crop planning, subsidised drought-tolerant seeds, and drip and sprinkler irrigation at 75–90% subsidy. The plan also proposed fodder banks, cattle camps and village-level contingency plans.
The Assembly passed a resolution seeking a ₹20,000-crore special package from the Centre. It also sought additional employment days under the employment-guarantee scheme, higher FRBM borrowing limits, and support for drinking water, fodder and crop losses. Some later assessments have discussed raising the demand to ₹30,000 crore.
The state has indicated that it will set aside its own contingency resources rather than wait indefinitely for central assistance. Reports cite a ₹6,000-crore water-and-power fund. District Collectors have received emergency funds. In addition, the government has ordered continuous power supply to protect standing crops.
Reservoir storage falls sharply amid Telangana drought
El Niño is a periodic warming of sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific. It disrupts atmospheric circulation and weakens the Southwest Monsoon winds that bring rain to peninsular and central India. In Telangana, it has led to delayed onset, prolonged dry spells, reduced reservoir inflows and higher temperatures, estimated at 2–3°C above normal in some assessments. The United Nations has noted its impact across nearly 100 countries.
The 2026 Southwest Monsoon ended with a 17% rainfall deficit, recording 615.5 mm against a normal of 740.6 mm. Cumulative deficits have widened since then, deepening the Telangana drought, as October’s Northeast Monsoon has been extremely weak. Some reports place the month’s shortfall near 95% and the state’s overall annual deficit at around 24%.
Available reservoir water is cited at roughly 170–209 TMC, against a typical October figure near 460–470 TMC. Many projects are below 20% of capacity or at dead-storage levels. Reports put Krishna-basin reservoirs roughly 72% lower than last year and Godavari-basin storage around 40% lower. About 15 lakh of the state’s 30 lakh agricultural pump sets have run dry, and groundwater is under stress in hundreds of mandals.
Increased pumping and heat pushed power demand to a record 20,003 MW on 15 October, against a more typical October load near 15,000 MW. Hydropower generation has also declined.
Agriculture has already taken a hit. The kharif cropped area shrank, and reports cite a fall in paddy acreage of the order of 11 lakh acres or more compared with earlier seasons. Cotton and other crops suffered moisture stress, and crop loss estimates have reached ₹20,000 crore. Some farmers have shifted to vegetables, chilli and other horticulture crops, with horticulture area rising substantially in certain districts.
Overall farm incomes and rural demand remain under pressure. Assessments have flagged drought-like conditions in 215–358 mandals, depending on the assessment window. Earlier figures of 315 mandals, including 101 severely affected, have also circulated.
Agriculture remains a significant driver of rural incomes and demand in Telangana, even as the state’s overall economy has grown. Crop losses, reduced irrigation, higher power costs and weaker rural purchases of inputs, durables and two-wheelers could affect GST collections, tractor and equipment sales, and food prices. Officials have previously flagged the risk of a 1–2 percentage-point moderation in GSDP growth under prolonged dry conditions. Livestock and fodder security are additional vulnerabilities.
Treated-wastewater reuse has already been flagged for construction in Hyderabad. El Niño is a natural climatic event whose exact severity and duration cannot be fully controlled. However, existing water stress, groundwater depletion and cropping patterns amplify its effects on the Telangana drought.
