Hyderabad: Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Monday announced plans for a special Telangana Cabinet meeting to address anticipated water shortages, drought conditions and electricity supply problems linked to El Niño. The meeting, under Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s leadership, would examine the expected crisis and seek financial assistance from the Central government.
Speaking during development programmes in the Palair Assembly constituency of Khammam district, Ponguleti warned of severe rainfall deficiencies and their possible impact on agriculture. He said the government would make every effort to protect standing crops. However, he urged farmers not to cultivate a second crop because of anticipated irrigation and electricity shortages.
Telangana Cabinet meeting to seek central assistance
Ponguleti said the proposed Telangana Cabinet meeting would examine measures to address inadequate rainfall, declining water availability and electricity supply difficulties. He announced that the Cabinet would adopt a resolution requesting a relief package from the Central government.
The Minister urged the Centre to support Telangana like an “elder brother” during the anticipated crisis. Additionally, he said the State government would convene an all-party meeting to discuss measures for reducing the impact of El Niño.
He stressed that political differences should not prevent parties from offering suggestions on handling the expected shortages. The proposed consultations would focus on challenges affecting drinking water, irrigation, agriculture and electricity availability.
Minister warns farmers against second crop
Ponguleti expressed concern that the global impact of El Niño could lead to prolonged rainfall shortages and drought conditions in Telangana. He cautioned that insufficient water supplies could affect both irrigation requirements and drinking-water availability.
Although the government intended to protect the standing first crop, he advised farmers against undertaking another cultivation cycle. The Minister warned that farmers who proceeded with a second crop could face severe losses because of inadequate irrigation and electricity.
He said crops could wither if water and power supplies failed to meet agricultural requirements, potentially causing serious financial hardship. Therefore, he appealed to farmers to consider the anticipated resource shortages before making further cultivation decisions.
Electricity shortage raises concerns over supply
Ponguleti also warned that meeting rising electricity demand could become increasingly difficult under the expected conditions. He said electricity could not be procured from the open market even at ₹15 per unit, highlighting the seriousness of supply constraints.
Consequently, he urged the public to conserve electricity and avoid unnecessary consumption. The Minister linked the anticipated power shortage to the wider difficulties associated with deficient rainfall and reduced water availability.
He maintained that careful electricity consumption was essential as the government prepared to address the expected demand. The proposed Telangana Cabinet meeting would also consider the electricity situation alongside water scarcity and agricultural concerns.