Telangana Declares Drought in 365 Mandals Across 31 Districts; Rainfall 17% Short, Paddy Area Down 18%

With El Niño cutting rainfall, the Telangana government has declared 365 mandals drought-affected. The Revenue (Disaster Management) Department issued G.O. Ms. No. 03 on October 24. Of the mandals, spread over 31 districts, 111 face severe drought and 254 moderate drought. The notification is valid for six months.

The numbers

• Rainfall (June 1 to September 30): 615.5 mm against a normal of 740.6 mm, a 17% deficit.
• Kharif sown area fell from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres.
• Paddy area fell 18%, from 69.19 lakh acres to 57 lakh acres.
• Major and medium reservoirs hold 179.63 TMC against a capacity of 585 TMC.

Relief

The government has ordered input subsidy through direct benefit transfer, extra drinking water, fodder, cattle camps and work under VB-G RAM G. Collectors must restructure farm loans with banks and stop coercive recovery. Input subsidy must be paid within a month of receiving central NDRF aid, and beneficiary lists will be posted online.

Other mandals stay under watch by the State Drought Monitoring Cell and can be added later. The Assembly's September 18 resolution sought a ₹20,000 crore special package, a higher borrowing limit (3% to 3.5% of GSDP), 50 extra days of rural work and 1,500 MW of extra power from the Centre. An all-party meeting on the drought is due on Wednesday.