Telangana Leaders Unite: All-Party Meet Confronts Deepening El Niño Drought

Telangana's political landscape is buzzing today as Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka hosts a crucial all-party meeting in Hyderabad to tackle the severe drought-like conditions gripping the state. This urgent assembly, convened at the state secretariat, aims to gather wide-ranging suggestions to mitigate the devastating impact of the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, which has left nearly 60% of Telangana officially parched. The crisis hit a new high on October 24, 2026, when the Telangana government formally declared 365 mandals across 31 districts as drought-affected for the Kharif season, marking 111 as severe and 254 as moderately impacted. The state suffered a significant 17% rainfall deficit during the crucial Southwest Monsoon, leading to an 18% drop in paddy cultivation and critically low water levels in reservoirs. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had earlier called the El Niño impact a 'major disaster,' prompting the Telangana Assembly to pass a resolution on September 18, urging the Centre for a substantial 20,000 crore rupees relief package. Today's discussions will zero in on immediate relief measures such as ensuring drinking water supply, planning for less water-intensive alternative crops, guaranteeing electricity for irrigation, and providing fodder for livestock. Following this meeting, an all-party delegation is expected to travel to New Delhi in November, hoping to secure much-needed central assistance to combat this looming water and agricultural crisis. The government is also pushing farmers to consider shifting away from water-intensive paddy to more resilient crops to build long-term sustainability.