# India's El Niño farm mitigation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/indias-el-nio-farm-mitigation
> Updated: 2026-08-06T18:04:04.000Z. Sources: 6. Developments: 3.

Following the early‑July statewide contingency plan announced by Telangana’s Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, the state refined its response on 9 July, directing district collectors and relevant departments to base actions on rainfall forecasts, groundwater levels and reservoir storage, and to use the Godavari basin and Sripada Yellampalli Reservoir for upstream inflow capture.

On 23 July, the Andhra Pradesh cabinet, led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, issued detailed guidance urging farmers to abandon water‑intensive paddy in favour of dry‑crop alternatives, to halt new borewell drilling, and to distribute seed kits while arranging drinking‑water tankers. The warning highlighted critically low storage in the Krishna Delta (Srisailam ≈ 19 % and Nagarjuna Sagar ≈ 44 % of capacity) and the need to secure water for over six million residents.

By 6 August, Telangana’s irrigation ministry revived district irrigation advisory panels to assess reservoir and canal supplies each season. Minister Reddy again cautioned against paddy planting, ordered public disclosure of storage at Nagarjunasagar and Sriramsagar projects, and instructed coordination with rural‑water officials to reserve water for drinking needs, reinforcing the earlier mitigation strategy as El Niño‑related rainfall variability persisted.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-06: Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy Revives Advisory Panels, Warns Farmers Against Paddy

Telangana’s irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy revived district advisory panels and urged farmers to avoid water‑intensive crops like paddy, citing low reservoir levels and El Niño‑related rainfall concerns.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/telangana-irrigation-minister-uttam-kumar-reddy-revives-advisory-panels-warns-farmers-against-paddy

### 2026-07-23: Andhra Pradesh government urges farmers to switch from paddy amid severe monsoon deficit

Andhra Pradesh's cabinet, led by CM N. Chandrababu Naidu, urged farmers to abandon paddy and plant dry‑crop alternatives as El Niño drives a 51 % monsoon deficit and reservoir levels fall, prioritising drinking

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/andhra-pradesh-government-urges-farmers-to-switch-from-paddy-amid-severe-monsoon-deficit

### 2026-07-09: Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy Orders Statewide El‑Niño Plan to Safeguard Farmers

Telangana’s Uttam Kumar Reddy ordered a statewide El Niño contingency plan, coordinating irrigation, agriculture and meteorology departments to protect farmers with transparent water data and climate‑resilient‑

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/telangana-minister-uttam-kumar-reddy-orders-statewide-elnio-plan-to-safeguard-farmers

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Cite as: India's El Niño farm mitigation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/indias-el-nio-farm-mitigation