Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy Orders Statewide El‑Niño Plan to Safeguard Farmers

Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed state officials to prepare comprehensive contingency plans for a possible El Niño influence on the monsoon. In a high‑level review meeting at the Secretariat, he called for coordinated action among the irrigation, agriculture, horticulture and meteorological departments and instructed district collectors to develop clear response strategies based on rainfall forecasts, groundwater levels, reservoir storage and local cropping patterns.

The minister emphasized rapid dissemination of India Meteorological Department forecasts to farmers, transparent information on water availability, and promotion of climate‑resilient crops. Officials were asked to use gram sabhas, Rythu Vedikas and field‑level extension programmes to educate cultivators. Infrastructure readiness was highlighted, including storing inflows in the Godavari basin and the Sripada Yellampalli Reservoir after upstream rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka. The plan aims to minimise risks to agriculture and protect farmers’ livelihoods without causing panic.