The Government of Telangana has formally declared drought across 365 administrative mandals spanning 31 of the state’s 33 districts. Triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon that produced a 17% seasonal rainfall deficit during the June-to-September monsoon window, the declaration invokes provisions under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to initiate prompt administrative and financial interventions for affected farming communities.
According to an official notification issued by Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari following deliberations by a dedicated cabinet sub-committee on October 23, the administration classified 111 mandals under severe drought and 254 mandals under moderate drought conditions. Only two districts—Hyderabad and Peddapalli—were excluded from the notification after ground assessments confirmed they remained outside critical distress thresholds.
Acute Deficits and Depleted Reservoirs
Telangana's normal southwest monsoon rainfall benchmark stands at 740.6 mm, but the state recorded only 615.5 mm this season as reported by Eenadu.net. This deficiency disrupted agricultural activity across 18 districts, shrinking total sown area from 139.28 lakh acres down to 126.06 lakh acres.
Paddy cultivation experienced a sharp contraction, tumbling roughly 18% from 69.19 lakh acres to 57 lakh acres. Concurrently, surface water availability suffered severe depletion: major and medium irrigation reservoirs held just 179.63 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water against their aggregate design capacity of 585 TMC. The shortfall has strained rural drinking water access, hydroelectric power output, and livestock fodder reserves.
| Assessment Metric | Normal / Target Level | Recorded Level / Status | Net Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seasonal Rainfall (June–Sept) | 740.6 mm | 615.5 mm | 17% deficit |
| Total Sown Area | 139.28 lakh acres | 126.06 lakh acres | Reduction of 13.22 lakh acres |
| Paddy Cultivation | 69.19 lakh acres | 57.00 lakh acres | 18% contraction |
| Major/Medium Reservoir Storage | 585.00 TMC | 179.63 TMC | Critical water scarcity |
| Affected Mandals | 0 baseline | 365 mandals | 111 severe, 254 moderate |
Relief Directives and Central Financial Assistance
District collectors have been ordered to enumerate distressed farmers immediately, initiate relief measures, and work alongside financial institutions to reschedule agricultural crop loans. The formal drought determination followed standardized field verifications where officials surveyed a 10% sample of villages in each mandal, analyzing rainfall gaps, soil moisture profiles, and groundwater depletion metrics as documented in state directives covered by Eenadu.
Citing the state legislative assembly's unanimous resolution passed on September 18, the Telangana government has formally petitioned the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture for an emergency financial package of ₹20,000 crore. The state has urged New Delhi to dispatch central inter-ministerial assessment teams promptly to verify ground realities and expedite assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
