Published Oct 16, 2026 | 11:09 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 16, 2026 | 11:41 AM
Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy.
The next nine to ten months will be difficult for farmers and ordinary people in Telangana, already reeling from the effects of El Niño this year, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy believes.
“I request all my farmer brothers and sisters in Telangana to defer one crop (paddy) this farming season. The next 9-10 months will be very difficult; we will have less water because of this unprecedented El Niño situation,” he said at a press conference at the state Secretariat.
The Chief Minister also shared grim news on the drinking water front. Revanth said it would take the same length of time “to secure Telangana’s drinking water supply”.
He drew attention to how the United Nations had noted that El Niño would affect nearly a hundred crore people, directly and indirectly, in 100 countries.
“Because of global warming, this El Niño disaster is affecting the entire world. Scientists and other experts have been warning us about El Niño. Unfortunately, their worst predictions have come true. This year, El Niño is a global crisis much like COVID was in 2020. El Niño is a weather phenomenon affecting every single human being on the planet, directly or indirectly. Some people are calling this the ‘Super El Niño’ as it is worse than what we’ve seen since 1950,” the Chief Minister said.
Almost two months after pouring public money into a Maha Varuna Yagam involving 108 priests, in which he also participated, the Chief Minister said there were indications “that the rains would be deficient this season”.
“This is why we had requested farmers to avoid planting paddy. Farmers of over 13 lakh acres heeded to our request. About 53 lakh acres were planted with paddy by others,” he added.
Estimates suggested that during the 2025 kharif season, paddy was planted across roughly 67.6–69.9 lakh acres in Telangana, and about 148 lakh tonnes of rice had been produced.
The Chief Minister urged all farmers to stay away from paddy for the next eight to ten months.
“My dear farmers, you have given us food whenever we have needed and asked for it. Now we are asking you for water as well,” he said.
The Chief Minister said all reservoirs in Telangana were struggling.
“In Krishna basin reservoirs, we have 72% less water than we did last year at the same time. In Godavari, it is 42%. No reservoir has enough water to supply both drinking and farming needs. Usually, at this time in a typical year, we have 462 TMC of water across all reservoirs. Today, we have only 200 TMC. This is an unprecedented moment of crisis for all of us,” he said.
Revanth noted that the crisis was hitting the state at a time when power demand had risen sharply.
“Generally, in October, the daily power consumption is around 15,000 MW. However, as of now, the consumption is upwards of 20,000 MW, almost 33% higher than average,” he said.
The Chief Minister said agricultural labourers who lose work because of the deferring of paddy cultivation would be compensated through VB-G RAM G, the successor of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
“Through VB-G RAM G, we will focus on irrigation and nala work, so when the rains come, we will be better equipped to deal with this problem if it ever comes again,” he said.
Revanth went on to call upon “everybody in our cities and towns to save water”.
“Every drop equals a life… Water cannot be manufactured in a factory. The way through this crisis is to save it. Do anything you can to save water,” he said.
He also announced that K Ramakrishna Rao, the state’s former Chief Secretary and currently an advisor to the Telangana government, would be the nodal officer for all information on El Niño.
A war room “will manage, track, optimise water supply for every citizen”, and toll-free numbers for citizens seeking information would be announced.
Revanth asked citizens to rely on information from these channels and avoid falling prey to “fearmongering on social media”.
He also requested all parties to join hands with the government, putting aside their differences, to help the state tide over the unprecedented water crisis.
Also Read:
‘Just to keep the crop alive’: Telangana farmers forced to rent generators amid power cuts
Cloudy outlook: Telangana’s rice bowl faces a season of reckoning
Can a non-existent Varuna stop El Niño, Mr Chief Minister?
(Edited by R Rajesh Kumar.)
