Published Oct 28, 2026 | 2:36 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 28, 2026 | 2:36 PM
Telangana received 615.5 mm of rain between 1 June and 30 September against a normal 740.6 mm, a 17 per cent deficit
Synopsis: Telangana has notified drought in 365 of its 621 mandals for Kharif 2026, with Nalgonda, Jogulamba Gadwal and Narayanpet worst hit. The BRS criticised the order, saying it commits no state money, and does not say much about Hyderabad’s core urban region’s drinking water shortage.
The Telangana government has declared drought in 365 of the state’s 621 mandals across 31 districts for Kharif 2026, classifying 111 mandals as severe and 254 as moderate.
The order, dated 24 October, was made public on the night of Tuesday, 27 October. This is the state’s second drought notification since its formation in 2014. Earlier, a drought notification was issued in November 2015, which covered 231 mandals.
The notification is valid for six months unless withdrawn earlier. Mandals left out stay under the State Drought Monitoring Cell’s watch and can be added through a supplementary notification.
The declaration follows a two-trigger test under the National Manual for Drought Management. Rainfall and dry-spell data from 1 June to 30 September formed the first trigger. Mandals were then examined for any three of the four trigger-two impact indicators, namely, crop sown area, vegetation, soil moisture and groundwater. Ground-truthing surveys in 10 per cent of villages in each mandal set the final intensity.
The GO directed district authorities to begin relief work immediately, arrange more drinking water, fodder, and cattle camps, and generate employment under VB-G RAM G. They are also asked to urge bankers to restructure farm loans and avoid coercive recovery.
The Agriculture and Cooperation Department has been instructed to pay the agricultural input subsidy to affected farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) within one month of receiving Central assistance from the NDRF. The district collectors’ and the state government’s websites must publish beneficiary lists for the relief. The Planning Department has seven days to prepare a memorandum to submit to the Central government seeking NDRF assistance.
Also Read: Telangana confronts severe drought conditions with power and water shortages
The GO pinned the drought on an El Niño-hit South West Monsoon. It cited emerging El Niño conditions, weak Bay of Bengal low-pressure systems, prolonged dry spells at critical crop growth stages and deteriorating soil moisture.
The state received 615.5 mm of rain between 1 June and 30 September against a normal 740.6 mm, a 17 per cent deficit, with 18 of 33 districts in shortfall. Kharif area fell from 139.28 lakh acres to 126.06 lakh acres, and paddy dropped 18 per cent to 57 lakh acres. Live storage in major and medium reservoirs is 179.63 TMC against a capacity of 585 TMC, critically affecting agriculture and livestock.
Beyond farming needs, water supply for consumers in urban areas has also taken a major hit, with Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) announcing emergency measures. Hydro-electric power generation fell by about 4,000 MW as water availability dropped, even as peak demand hit a record 20,003 MW in October.
Also Read: Telangana must prepare for the El Niño threat
Nalgonda and Sangareddy districts led with 28 mandals each declared as drought-hit, followed by Suryapet (23), Adilabad and Vikarabad (20 each), and Ranga Reddy and Nizamabad (18 each).
Nalgonda has the most severely affected mandals, with 20 of 28, while in Jogulamba Gadwal and Narayanpet districts, all 13 drought-hit mandals have been categorised as severe. Vikarabad (11), Khammam and Nagarkurnool (10 each) followed. These six districts held 77 of the 111 severely affected mandals.
The Palamuru region alone accounted for about 44 mandals categorised as severely drought-hit. They included five districts of the erstwhile Mahabubnagar: Jogulamba-Gadwal, Mahbubnagar, Narayanpet, Nagarkurnool, and Wanaparthy.
Mandals in the peripheries of Hyderabad’s core urban region, including Quthbullapur, Medipally, Ghatkesar, Gandipet, and Rajendranagar in Ranga Reddy, were declared severely drought-hit. Annexure-I instructed collectors to strike urban areas off the list, but said they should be treated on par with the drought-affected mandals for drinking water crisis.
Also Read: Prepare before we panic: Every dam in Telangana needs a water protocol
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Dasoju Shravan Kumar accused the Revanth Reddy government of ‘criminal negligence’ in a post made on X on Wednesday, 28 October.
He said that Andhra Pradesh declared drought in 388 mandals on 1 October, while Telangana’s Cabinet sub-committee was formed only on 19 October despite warnings.
🔥Telangana Govt is indulging in criminal negligence in handling the El Niño drought.
💥The neighbouring state of AP declared drought in 388 mandals on Oct 1, Telangana’s https://t.co/PIf9UqvFjc.03 came only on Oct 27 that too a callous declaration without any firm
commitment.💥The El Niño Cabinet Sub-Committee was formed just on Oct 19, though warnings were public since May. Why the delay, @revanth_anumula garu?
Where is your policy on drought relief? What is the budget that you have allocated and How much of it has been released????
💥Having woke up from slumber, Telangana State declared 365 mandals drought-hit, 111 severe. But the GO astonishingly names no budget, no input subsidy rate and no allocation from the State Disaster Response Fund. A list of mandals in the gazette is not relief to a farmer. It is only an irresponsible eyewash!!!
💥The GO is valid for just 6 months. Govt’s own officials say the crisis lasts till June 2027. And who covers the gap?
💥Urban areas are completely ignored and struck off the drought list, “treated on par” only for drinking water, with no plan.
💥Para 8 of the GO: Input subsidy will be paid only after Central NDRF funds arrive. Do you Mr Chief Minister that State of Karnataka waited till April 2024 for its 2023 drought aid and got less than a fifth of what it sought!! Must our farmers also wait for the mercy of Delhi?
💥Sep 18: Assembly asks the Centre for NDRF funds, its SDRF share, 50 more work days under VB-G RAM G at full Central cost, 1,500 MW power, a ₹20,000 cr package and a higher borrowing limit. 36 days later, the GO commits not one rupee from the State’s Exchequer. A Govt can’t outsource a disaster.
💥In July, the Govt’s own El Niño expert committee gave a ₹802.92 cr contingency plan for seeds, drip irrigation, fodder and drinking water. Three months on, no sanction has been reported. Ironically, Plans gather dust while Crops wither.
🙏Kharif sown area down from 139.28 to 126.06 lakh acres, paddy down 18%.
💥With regard to loans, the GO only asks Collectors to “take up” restructuring with bankers. No State interest relief. No Support to Farmers!!
💥Reservoirs hold 179.63 TMC of 585 TMC, the GO admits. Hyderabad gets water once in 3 days, with thousands of tanker bookings daily. Power demand hit a record near 20,000 MW; power cuts intensified; industry is suffering; farmers report under 8 hours of three-phase supply.
🔥Kaleshwaram command mandals in Siddipet, Sangareddy, Nizamabad and Mancherial are drought-hit while its pumps sit idle. Even Mahadevpur, where Medigadda stands, is drought-hit, as the Godavari water even today massively flows to the sea. The NDSA Chairman called the State’s barrage repairs “very slow”.
✊Our demands:
• Declare an El Niño Drought Policy immediately • Lift Godavari water under expert supervision • Pay input subsidy to farmers from the State fund now • Publish the relief budget and provide drought relief to farmers • Announce a drinking water plan till June 2027
• Explain to people why Krishna & Godavari waters were not lifted during peak floods— Prof Dasoju Sravan Kumar (@sravandasoju) October 28, 2026
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
